My Hero
by HannahBerrie
Summary: Wreck-It-Ralph, AU. Ralph decides he wants to have a child in his life, so he adopts a little girl, Vanellope. Follow the day to day lives of Ralph, Vanellope, Felix, and Calhoun, as they go through each adventure. A story full of fluff, laughter, love, and maybe even a few tears. Reviews would make my day.
1. Adoption Day

Ralph sat twiddling his thumbs on the hard bench. There were a bunch of children staring wide-eyed up at him from behind the windows, as if begging for him to take them, which just made the whole situation even more awkward. That lady, Mrs. Whatsherface, had said she'd be back in only a minute or so.

"Yeah, right." Ralph muttered. If by one minute she had meant _thirty_. What was taking so long? Maybe she didn't want to meet him. No, that couldn't be it. After all, who would _want _to stay in a dump like this? The paint was peeling off the walls and a layer of dust blanketed everything. They must have not have gotten a lot of visitors lately. Or ever. The "playground" outside was covered in rust and looked like it would blow over with the slightest gust of wind.

Mrs. Whateverhernamewas had given him a tour of the whole place earlier. It, like everything else here, was all gray and broken. Even the kids were dressed in virtually the same outfit, gray pants, gray shirt, gray shoes. Ralph could have sworn that he walked onto the set of a black-and-white movie.

He tapped his foot angrily on the ground, glancing down the hallway that lady had walked down. Ralph was not a very patient person. At all.

Maybe he wasn't ready for this. Yes, he most defiantly wasn't ready. This was all a stupid idea in the first place. He couldn't take care of a child! The idea alone was ridiculous. Why he had even done this, he couldn't really remember. But he was pretty sure Felix had something to do with it. Felix always would push him to "try new things" because "everything would turn out for the best."

Even though Felix still refused to drink anything hot.

Ralph was just standing up to go find Mrs. Something and tell her that he changed his mind, when the door at the end of the hall opened. Ralph froze, and suddenly his mind went blank. A loud rushing noise came to his ears and all his blood rushed to his head.

He couldn't see her yet, all he could see was that lady (seriously, _what _was her name?) and hear the sound of suitcase wheels running against the tiled floor.

They came closer until Mrs. Whatever was standing right in front of him. "Vanellope," she said in a sweet voice. "You can come out now. This is Mr. Reilly, he's going to be your new daddy."

A pair of giant hazel eyes peeked out at Ralph, examining him from behind Mrs. Jillian's (_that's _what her name was, according to her name tag, anyway) legs. Mrs. Jillian stepped to the side so Ralph could finally see her.

She was small, and dressed in the same gray uniform as all the other kids. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail with a red ribbon, and she had candy barrettes stuck in random places all over her head. She had tiny grey studs in her ear that were almost hidden by her messy side bangs, which she nervously tucked behind her ear. She was looking up at him hesitantly, as if she was worried he was going to bite her or something. But at the same time, her face was full of hope, and happiness.

Ralph's face broke into a smile. She was all her could ever ask for.

"Hey, Vanellope." He said, crouching down to her eye level. Vanellope smiled nervously, clutching her suitcase handle tightly. "My name's Ralph. Ralph Reilly. I'm-"  
"I know who you are, you're going to adopt me! Gadoi! " Vanellope burst out suddenly.  
"Vanellope! Use your manners!" Mrs. Jillian snapped.

But Ralph just laughed. Vanellope smiled up at him.

"Why don't we go into my office and sign the papers?" Mrs. Jillian said stiffly.

Ralph nodded. He couldn't back out now. Besides, Vanellope looked all right. Like someone he could become good friends with. It was nothing he couldn't handle, right?


	2. Call Me Ralph

Despite her previous outburst from before, Vanellope was surprisingly quiet in Ralph's car. She sat in the backseat, craning her neck to look out the window at everything they passed.

Ralph was never a good people person. Felix was the one who could start conversations with anyone on anything. What does one even talk about with kids? And to be even more specific, little girls? He was just about to open his mouth to ask whatever random question came to his mind first when Vanellope called from the backseat.

"Hey mister, what am I supposed to call you?"

Ralph was startled. The thought hadn't crossed his mind. He didn't want her calling him "Mister" or "Sir." He wasn't the president, for crying out loud. But it felt too weird for her to call him "Dad."

"Ralph. Call me Ralph." He said, staring straight ahead at the road.


	3. Burgers

"What's this place?" Vanellope asked to the window as Ralph pulled into a parking place.

"Haven't you ever been to a fast food restaurant before?" Ralph asked. "You know, burgers, French fries, grease?"

Vanellope stared at him blankly. "All we ever got to eat at the orphanage was stuff like vegetables and soup!" Vanellope said, sticking out her tongue at the thought. "And baloney."

"Well c'mon then." Ralph said, opening the car door and letting her out. "You can't have lived without eating fast food at least once."

Vanellope looked excited. She ran to the front door of the restaurant, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "C'mon Ralph, hurry!" she called.

Once inside, she scanned the menu. It was full of all sorts of things she never had tried before. "I want…that one!" she said, pointing to a picture of the biggest burger on the menu.

Ralph looked warily at her. "Are you sure you can eat all that?"

"Yes."

Vanellope turned out to be right. As soon as her food came, she began to attack it. Within minutes, every last crumb was gone.

"What the-?" Ralph's jaw hung open. She smiled at him again, looking quite pleased with herself. "You-you sure got quite an appetite on you." He stammered, beginning to smile. Finally, someone who could eat just as much as him.


	4. Goodnight

"_This, _is _my _room?!" Vanellope gasped incredulously.

"Yeah." Ralph said, looking nervously at her. He couldn't tell if her gasp was good or bad. "If you don't like it I could always switch your room with the guest room, or we could-"

"Are you kidding?" Vanellope squealed. "It's perfect! It's so big! Look it, look how big my bed is!" She ran over to bounce on it. "And there's a big window, and a lamp, and-A whole TV to MYSELF!?" She looked like she was going to pass out.

Ralph smiled. It wasn't much-if anything, to him. Compared to the average sized bedroom, it was a little on the small side, actually. But she loved it, and that was all that mattered. He showed her all around the house, and helped her brush her teeth. She opened her suitcase to get out all her pajamas. It looked like a pile of elephant skin was sitting in it.

"Yeesh, kid, we got to get you some real clothes." Ralph said, picking up a grey shirt that looked exactly like the one she was wearing currently.

"Whaddya mean?" Vanellope asked.

"Well, you can't wear this stuff. How 'bout some color? Huh? We'll go shopping tomorrow. "

Vanellope squealed again. "I'm going to get new clothes too!? This is the best day ever!"

Ralph faced the wall as Vanellope changed into her "pajamas" (which was basically a gray oversized T-Shirt). Then he tucked her into bed.

"Can you tell me a story?" Vanellope murmured into her pillow.

Ralph paused. "I don't really know any. Sorry kid."

Vanellope snorted into her pillow. "Well you better learn some. I need them to sleep. It's mandatory."

Ralph chuckled. "I think someone's letting all those burgers and ice cream go to their head." He teased, ruffling her hair.

Vanellope giggled, turning over to look at him.

"I'll try to get some stories for tomorrow, okay?" Ralph smiled.

Vanellope nodded, and shut her eyes. Ralph turned off her lamp and walked over to the door.

"Goodnight Ralph." Vanellope murmured sleepily from her bed. She had had quite an exciting day, and was pretty tired out.

"'Night kid." Ralph said, shutting the door behind him.


	5. Dreams

"Okay kid, go ahead. Pick out whatever you want."

Vanellope was shaking with delight as she looked all around the store. She had never seen so many different kinds of clothes-all in one place! While admittedly, she wasn't the kind of girl who was into fashion and shopping, it was still so exciting to get new stuff!

"Why don't we start down this aisle?" Ralph said, gesturing down an aisle that screamed pink and sparkles.

Vanellope stuck out her tongue and shook her head. "No way!" She said. "There's too much magic sparkles!"

Ralph looked confused. Didn't girls _like_ magic sparkles?

Vanellope instead headed towards the graphic T-Shirt section. Her favorite selection was a black t-shirt with Q-Bert on it.

After getting a couple shirts Ralph convinced her to go over to the "magic sparkles" section. He had nothing against the other stuff she'd picked out, he liked it somewhat better, actually, but it still felt weird to buy boys' clothes for a girl. Vanellope finally agreed on a sparkly teal sweatshirt, and a brown ruffled skirt with mismatched tights. Ralph thought it didn't really match that well, but then again, neither did his clothes on most occasions. She seemed happy with it, anyways.

By the time they left the store, Vanellope had a lot of bags of clothes, enough to last her a while.

"Wow, Ralph, this stuff is so cool! Thank you!" She called from behind a giant bundle of clothing.

"Here, let me get that." He said, picking up the bags.

"Thanks Ralph." She said, smiling.

She smiled a lot, Ralph noticed. A couple of days had passed since they had first met, and they were getting along surprisingly well. They'd gone to movies (if she had ever been close to fainting, it wasn't nearly as bad as when she found out about 3D movies, _and _that they were going to see one), to the park, the children's museum, and more. Tomorrow they were going to an amusement park.

Felix was surprised on how quickly she opened up to him. They'd gone to visit him on her second day. Felix fell in love with her immediately as well. She was like a little version of Ralph. In girl form. Usually kids from orphanages had a lot of psychological problems, and were depressed and moody. He'd read it in this weird pamphlet thing the orphanage had given him before he'd adopted her.

But she'd only scared Ralph once. On her first night, he'd woken up in the middle of the night to hear her shouting.

He'd ran into her room to find her tossing and turning in her sheets, crying out in fright. He quickly shook her awake, his eyes wide in alarm. "Vanellope! It's okay, everything's okay! It was just a dream! You're safe now!" He said, his voice stretched out in panic.

Vanellope heaved heavy breaths, in and out, her eyes red and streaming.

Ralph waited until she had calmed down until asking, "What happened?"

But Vanellope had just shaken her head, burying it in her sheets. She had only said one thing afterwards.

"I never want to go back."


	6. Hero's Duty

"Vanellope? Where'd ya go?" Ralph called, looking under the couch. They had just been in the middle of playing hide n' seek when all of the sudden, Ralph couldn't find her anywhere. And by anywhere, he meant _anywhere. _He looked in every last spot from the fridgerator to the washing machine.

He even had resorted to digging through the trash can outside.

Suddenly, Ralph heard a loud, "NO!" come from the basement. Fear leapt into his chest as he raced down the stairs. "Vanellope is everything-" he paused as he came upon the scene before him. There was Vanellope, jumping up and down angrily in front of the large flat screen TV he had in the basement. A game controller was in her hand, and _Hero's Duty, _one of Ralph's video games, was on the screen.

"Hey, kid, you shouldn't be playing this!" Ralph said. Yes, it was only rated T, but she was still what, 7, 9 years old?

Vanellope ignored the comment. "That stupid Cy-Bug came out of nowhere!" she exclaimed in frustration. "And I was about to beat your high score!"

"What!?" Ralph cried. "No way were _you _going to beat me!" He looked at the screen.

Oh.

"Well, that's beside the point, you can't be going into my stuff!" Ralph said, looking annoyed.

"I'm sorry!" Vanellope said, raising her hands. "I was trying to hide in that cabinet but all that stuff was in there so I took it out to move it and then it all spilled out, and I saw the case-thingy and it had such a funny name!" She giggled at the thought of it. "Hero's _Duty._"

Ralph looked to see all his games scattered across the floor. Great. Just Great. "How did you ever learn how to work this anyway?" He asked, gesturing to the game system.

"Well, one time Jimmy snuck one into the orphanage and we all got to play it!" She explained. "But then the head mistresses found it and took it away. But before that happened I was the only one who could read good there so I had to read all of the covers for everyone and put the games in."

Ralph sighed. "Well, do you see this 'T' in the corner? That means teen, which means you have to be a teenager to play it."

Vanellope burst into more giggles and rolled around the floor.

"What's so funny?" Ralph asked, frustrated. He was _trying _to discipline here!

"I thought the 'T' stood for toilet!" Vanellope laughed, slapping her legs.

Ralph glared at her. "Why would it stand for _toilet?" _he huffed.

"Because it's Hero's _Duty!" _she laughed, tears starting to leak from her eyes, all her previous frustration with the game gone.

"How dare you insult _Hero's Duty!" _Ralph exclaimed. "It's one of the biggest games of all times!"

"No, it's the biggest _DUTY!" _Vanellope cackled.

Ralph nodded his head sarcastically. "Sure, uh-huh. I bet I could beat you in this game any day." He said.

"You're on!" Vanellope said with a glint in her eye, grabbing another controller.


	7. Camping

"Ralph, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Vanellope smirked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Yes," Ralph said, although his tone said quite the opposite.

"Because it looks like you don't." Vanellope said in a sing-songy voice, dancing around in front of him.

"Well, maybe I could get it done faster if I had someone to help me." Ralph said, throwing her a pointed look.

Vanellope let out an exaggerated sigh. "I _would, _but you see, I'm just SO exhausted!" She pretended to faint onto the hammock.

An amused smile crossed Ralph's face. "Oh really? I guess we –_I_–don't have to set up this tent after all. I guess we'll just sleep inside tonight."

"No!" Vanellope exclaimed, jumping up immediately. "Please, don't! I was just kidding, I swear!"

Ralph laughed, "So am I. But can you at least, _pretend _to help me?"

Vanellope nodded eagerly.

As hard as they tried though, after an hour or so they still couldn't get the tent set up. Ralph sighed. "How 'bout sleeping bags?" He said. "It's getting dark."

Vanellope grinned. "Can we still make s'mores?" She asked.

"Gadoi!" Ralph imitated her in a high-pitched voice much unlike Vanellope's.

"Hey!" Vanellope said, starting to tickle him.

Ralph laughed. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry!"

Vanellope smiled and ran inside to get the marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate. Ever since Ralph had told her of the concept of s'mores she had been dying to have some. It was the end of their first week together, and it had been a blast. From amusement rides to roller blading in the park (something Ralph was more or less good at), they'd both had so much fun together.

That night, they told each other ghost stories, ate way too much sugar, and watched the sky for shooting stars. And as Vanellope cuddled up next to him to sleep, Ralph realized that his life couldn't be any more perfect.

s


	8. The S-Word

**A/N: Some quick notes just before we get started: There'll be more Tammy and Felix coming soon, I'm just not up to them yet! Gotta have some Hero's Cuties! Second, I know Vanellope's 9, but in this I'm putting her back a year, so she's 8. Hope that doesn't make you hate me or anything. Third, thank you for all the favorites and follows! If you have any other questions just put it I a review or PM me. Reviews make me happier than Vanellope at a Kart Factory (I'm sorry, that was lame)! Okay, let's get to the story!**

Ralph sat facing Vanellope in the restaurant booth. He'd tried to pick a place somewhat classier than last time, this being a big occasion and all. He kept fidgeting in his seat. Why was he so nervous? This had to happen eventually. She couldn't stay around him forever. He just didn't want to make her upset.

Upset…

His stomach lurched at the thought. Oh god. What if she cried? What if she started crying and screaming right in front of the whole restaurant? Everyone would think he was an awful parent or guardian, or whatever. She'd hate him. What someone called CPS? What if-

"Ralph!" Vanellope said, interrupting his flying thoughts.

Ralph jerked spastically and looked over at her. "What, what's wrong? Is everything okay?"

"Gadoi!" Vanellope laughed at him. "The waiter needs to take your order!"

Ralph blushed sheepishly. _Just calm down. _"I'll…have some…uh…ribs?" He asked for, not really thinking.

"And to drink?" The waiter asked, looking impatient.

"Water, just water." Ralph muttered.

After he walked away, Vanellope peered into Ralph's face. "So what's the big idea, huh? Why are you acting so weird?"

"Look kid, we need to talk." Ralph said slowly.

"About what?" Vanellope said, watching her reflection make funny faces in her spoon. "Are you still upset that I beat you in _Hero's Duty? _Because I know you cried like a baby afterwards."

"First of all, I didn't cry." Ralph said, still annoyed about the whole event. There was really nothing more embarrassing than losing in one of your favorite games to a 8 year-old who'd only held a controller maybe once in her life. "And secondly, that's not what we have to talk about."

"Then what is it?" Vanellope said, finally putting the spoon down to look at him.

Ralph let out a sigh. _You're the one in charge, here, _He told himself. _This is going to happen whether she likes it or not, so you might as well get it over with. _

"Okay, here's the thing," he said, folding his hands together on the table. "I…It's been really fun hanging out these past days, and getting to know each other, and I'm so glad that you could come live with me but-"

Just then, the waiter came back with their drinks, which captured Vanellope's attention. She had ordered a large milkshake with candy bits on top. "Holy cow! Look at how big this is! It's taller than my head!" She squealed.

Ralph tried to grin but wound up grimacing instead. "Wow, that's…that's great." He said, trying to pull her back into the conversation. "But, we really need to talk."

"Then talk." Vanellope said, sitting on her knees. The glass was so big she had to do this in order to comfortably reach the straw.

"Well, as I was saying," Ralph began, trying to avoid eye contact. "It's been a lot of fun hanging out with you, and all. But it a week or two, that's going to have to change."

Vanellope shrunk back into her seat. A look of confusion filled her face, along with a mix of fear. "What? Are you…bringing me back?"

"No!" Ralph exclaimed, a bit too loudly. Other patrons turned to look over at him. "No." He said, more quietly this time. "I would never to that. I…"

Vanellope looked at him blankly.

"Look, you just want to live like a normal kid, right?" Ralph asked. Vanellope nodded furiously. "Well, normal kids, like you, have certain things they need to do."

Vanellope was starting to look even more confused by all of this. "What are you talking about Ralph?" She asked, sitting up to take another sip of her milkshake.

"Look what I'm trying to say kid, is that, you're going to have to start going to school," Ralph spit out.

Vanellope paled. She chocked on the portion of milkshake she still had in her mouth and began coughing. "Wh-what!" She said, her eyes wide. "School? With other kids?"

Ralph looked highly uncomfortable. "Well, uh, yeah."

Vanellope looked worried. "Why?" She protested.

"Well, it's kinda the law, that you have too." Ralph said, trying say it as gently as he could. Others were beginning to stare, especially when Vanellope began what looked like a smaller form of hyperventilating. "Look, school isn't that bad! It isn't, trust me! You get to make new friends and do art projects and go on field trips…"

"It's not that." Vanellope said, wringing her arms together. "I…I don't get along well with other kids."

Ralph looked confused. "What are you talking about? You're awesome! How could anyone not like you?"

But Vanellope just shook her head and put it face down on the table. "Do I have to?"

Ralph sighed. "Yeah, kinda."

Vanellope groaned into the table. "When?"

"Next week Monday."

"Next week?" Vanellope gasped, raising her head. "That's only in 5 days!"

"Look, it's a really good school, I'm sure you'll like it." Ralph insisted, hating the pain he was causing her. "Felix teaches there, you remember Felix, right?"

Vanellope looked unsure.

"You'll be fine, okay?" Ralph said, holding on of her hands from across the table.

Vanellope sniffed. She didn't look at him.

"And plus, you'll get to get more stuff!" Ralph said, trying to look for some silver lining. "A backpack, notebook, markers, and all that!"

Vanellope just looked at him. After what seemed like an hour of silence, she finally said, "Has anyone ever told you that your hands are really big?"

Ralph was taken aback. That was most _definitely _not what he expected her to say. He looked at his hands.

Vanellope gave a dry laugh. "They're really big, like the size of plates." She giggled, and then began to laugh for real.

Ralph looked flustered. "They're not _that _big!" He said, feeling embarrassed. It was true that growing up, his hands had been a bit disproportionate to his body, but it wasn't _that _noticeable.

But at least she wasn't hyperventilating anymore.

He waited until she was quiet again to tell her: "Look Vanellope, I don't want you to worry. I'll take care of you. And I promise I'll never let anyone hurt you."


	9. Day 1, Part 1

**A/N: Okay, thanks once again for all your reviews and questions!  
****dalek: **Thanks for all your reviews. And yes, I was very happy

**kairi's friend**** : **A+ for you, and yes, it does have a lot to do with it

**EVERYBODY: **This isn't really going to be a big Vanilla Butter fic, so I'm very sorry 'bout that. That's just not what I'm going for right now, and besides, I'd feel weird writing romance-y things with 3rd Graders. There _might _be a little stuff here and there, but don't hold me accountable to anything.

**Okay, let's get to it kiddies. Here's a nice, long chapter to feed your soul.**

* * *

Vanellope couldn't stop fidgeting in her seat. The early warm September breeze whipped her hair into her face, and her stomach wouldn't stop churning. She felt like she was going to vurp up her Frosted Flakes Ralph had given her this morning.

Ralph was being nice enough about the whole thing. He had pointed out to her that since it was the first day of school, technically _everyone _would be new. And he had bought her the backpack she had liked best, even though it was the most expensive of them all at the store.

"You doing okay, kid?" Ralph asked, glancing over at her.

Vanellope nodded and said nothing.

"Are you sure? I don't think I've ever seen you this quiet since-"

"I said I'm fine!" Vanellope snapped suddenly.

Ralph looked surprised. She'd never raised her voice to him. Well, not in anger or annoyance at least. "Alright," He finally said, turning his attention back to the road. Vanellope would be taking the bus normally, but since it was her first day at a new place, Ralph thought it would be best to take her himself.

It seemed like only 30 seconds had passed by the time they pulled up into the school parking lot. A few kids were running around the playground and getting out of their parents' cars.

"So, are you ready for this?" Ralph said, turning off the car and turning towards her.

Vanellope fiddled with the strings on her backpack. Finally she burst out, "Ralph, what if the other kids don't like me?" A look of panic filled her eyes.

Ralph frowned. "Vanellope," he said, his eyes brimming with concern. "Listen to me, those kids aren't going to like you."

Vanellope's jaw dropped. "What?" She exclaimed, glaring at him.

"They're going to _love _you." Ralph smiled.

Vanellope reached over to push him playfully.

"You're awesome, funny, and an excellent video game player." Ralph said. "Those kids are going to be begging to be your best friend, you got it?"

Vanellope nodded, feeling a_ bit _better. "Okay."

They got out of the car and went into the building. Vanellope heard the playful shrieks and laughter and chatter of how summer vacations had gone. Kids ran up to each other after not have seen each other in months. Vanellope breathed in and out slowly. _I'm awesome, _she reminded herself. _People would be lucky for me to be their friend. _

Ralph took her to the school office where they were introduced to the principal, Gene. He then went on to give her and Ralph this boring and exceedingly long speech on the school's policy, history, and other pointless information. Finally, he told her that she would be in Miss Mary's class with the other 3rd Graders.

Ralph walked her to the classroom entrance. "Well, it looks like this is my time to leave." He said, bending down to see her eye to eye. "You're sure you'll be okay?"

Vanellope nodded, though she still felt queasy inside.

Ralph leaned over to give her a hug. "And remember that you're riding bus #52," he reminded her.

"I know." Vanellope said.

"And you can ask the other kids where the cafeteria is." Ralph added. "I put some money in your backpack so you can buy a lunch."

"I _know._" Vanellope said.

"And school gets out at 3:00. I might be at work still, but I gave you that house key. I'll make sure to come home early today.."

"_Okay!" _Vanellope sighed.

"And remember that-"

"RALPH!" Vanellope said, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm going." Ralph said, wiping his eyes.

"Are you crying?" Vanellope laughed.

"I'm not crying!" Ralph said, straightening up at once. "I just got dust in my eye, that's all."

"Suuuuure." Vanellope giggled.

Soon afterwards, Ralph left, and Vanellope was on her own. She walked into the classroom.

There were big throw pillows and rugs on the floor, and pictures of animals and butterflies all over the walls. There were desks with everyone's names on them. She felt relieved but slightly uncomfortable when she realized she was the first person in the room.

She walked over and found the desk with her name on it. It was grouped with a cluster of three others. She looked at their names. Taffyta, Candlehead, and Adorabeezle. They had funny names, she thought. But then again, so did she.

She sat down at her desk and slowly began putting her things in. She took extra time to make it neat and organized. When she finished, she looked up at the big clock on the wall and saw that it read 7:51. What time did class start?

The classroom had a stiff silence to it, all she could hear was the muffled shouts of other kids running about outside. To pass time, she went over and sat on one of the big pillows. There were little shelves full of books, and she picked one out randomly and began to read.

Around 10-ish minutes later, the bell rang, and soon the sound of running footsteps filled the hallways. Vanellope hid her face behind her book. Maybe the other kids wouldn't notice her. The first pair in were two boys, one with tan skin and a blue shirt, and the other with dark black hair and an orange shirt. They didn't notice her. They were talking animatedly about some awesome monster truck rally coming to town.

Vanellope's ears perked up. Maybe Ralph could take her to that. It sounded cool.

Soon, the classroom began to fill with other students, a girl with red pigtails, another one with a long, black braid that went down to her waist, and one girl with a big afro. No one talked to her or even seemed to know she was there. Eventually she snuck back over to her seat. She didn't want to get in trouble with her teacher for anything.

Vanellope saw that the girl with the long braid turned out to be Adorabeezle. She gave Vanellope a big smile. Vanellope awkwardly smiled back. This wasn't so bad.

Suddenly, a group of three kids walked in. Everyone turned to look and say 'hi' to them. On the left was a girl with a vivid green hair and pink ruffled skirt. Her eyes had a flighty look to them that suggested she didn't really know what was going on. On the right was a boy with blond hair that had a big cow lick in front. He wore a brown pants and jacket, and had a confusing expression that was a mix of _I'm so excited, _and, _I just can't wait to get out here. _

But in the middle was a girl who had everyone's attention. She had bright, platinum, blonde hair, and a pretty pink dress. In her hands was _a cell phone! _Vanellope almost gasped aloud. She had never seen anyone her age with their own cell phone! She'd seen one when her and Ralph were shopping for school supplies, but he said he wouldn't get her one until she was in at least 8th grade.

Vanellope felt her heart beat increase as they walked over to her. The boy walked off over to another cluster of desks, but the two girls sat down –_right in front of her! _The one with the green hair had to be Candlehead, and the girl with the cell phone was Taffyta.

"And then I was just like, oh my gawd Mom." Taffyta said, while Candlehead nodded along. "If I can't have new mascara by today, I'm like, totally going to call Dad." Taffyta looked over at Vanellope. Her made-up eyes scanned her over, up and down. "Who are you?" She asked sharply.

"Are you one of those exchange students?" Candlehead asked. "Because I like, heard we were getting exchange students from Africa?"

"Actually I-" Vanellope began. However, the bell rang once more, and a short woman with a purple vest and light brown hair walked in. The class immediately quieted down.

"Hello boys and girls." She said. "Welcome to another wonderful year at R. Moore Elementary! I'm your teacher, Miss Mary, and I can't wait to get to know all of you!"

Vanellope sat up straight. She saw Taffyta whisper something to Candlehead, which caused her to laugh. Vanellope found herself wishing Taffyta had told her it too.

"To get started, we'll play a little game to get to know each other." Miss Mary said. "I want you to come up to the front of the room and tell me your name, 3 facts about yourself, and what you'd like to be when you grow up. So, who would like to go first?"

Taffyta immediately raised her hand into the air. "Oooh, Miss Mary! Pick me!" She squealed.

"Alright, go on ahead."

Taffyta sauntered up to the front of the room. "Hey, everyone!" She greeted, smiling widely. "As you all probably know, I'm Taffyta, Taffyta Muttonfudge. My dad is a doctor and some people say I'm spoiled but that's not really true, I can't help it that I'm rich."

Candlehead was the only one who laughed.

"Anyways, what else?" Taffyta tapped her chin. "Oh yeah, I like shopping, doing my hair, and hanging out with my friends!"

"That's me!" Candlehead squealed silently. Vanellope smiled at her.

"And I want to be model when I grow up, since I'm so pretty and stuff." Taffyta finished, shrugging.

The class clapped as Taffyta walked back to her seat. As she passed people threw her comments like, "Great job, Taffyta!" and "You were really good!"

As much as Vanellope saw that Taffyta had acted kinda self-centered and braggy, she still found herself drawn to her. She wished people would treat her like that.

After that, more kids went up and introduced themselves until only Vanellope was left. She took a big breath and walked up to the front of the room. As she walked past all the desk, she heard whispers flying around the room. "Who is that?" Kids asked each other. "I've never seen her around here."

Vanellope tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Hello, everyone!" She said as confidently as she could. "My name is Vanellope. Vanellope…um…Reilly. I just moved here and I like drawing, candy, and racing."

She was just about to zip back over to her seat when Miss Mary said, "And what would you like to be when you grow up?"

Vanellope flushed. She had forgotten about that part. "I don't know…a race car driver, I guess?"

She saw approving nods come from the boys in the class. At least they thought she had done good.

The class clapped for her as she sat down. The rest of the morning was spent talking about classroom rules, what kind of things they were going to learn, etc. Vanellope noticed that Taffyta and Candlehead kept talking to each other and glancing over at her. She shifted uncomfortably. She hoped they weren't saying anything bad. Soon, the bell rang for morning recess. Vanellope spent it in the bathroom, not wanting to feel forced to talk to anybody. She worked alone on the homework they were given in class. She only raised her hand once or twice.

However when the lunch bell rang, Vanellope was given a big surprise when Taffyta walked up to her and asked, "Why don't you come have lunch with us?"


	10. Day 1, Part 2

**A/N: If you've made it this far, good job, and thank you! **** A note before you read: I don't ship any of the Sugar Rush characters with each other-so anything I write can't be used against me in a court of law. But seriously, don't take offense to anything.  
SuperGuest: **Oh my gob - I love your idea! I want to try to incorporate it in somehow-I'm still figuring stuff out.

* * *

"And here's the cafeteria!" Taffyta said, waving her arm across the room.

Vanellope looked around. All around the room were colorful circular tables. Big, tall windows gave a lovely glimpse of the scenery outside. Kids talked and lined up at the counter on one side of the room, where the food was being served.

"Wow!" Vanellope breathed.

"C'mon!" Taffyta said, pulling Vanellope over to the line with Rancis and Candlehead in their wake. "Everyone knows all the cool kids get hot lunch!" She explained. "I mean, why would you _choose _to bring one from home? It's just so…lame."

"I guess so…" Vanellope said. Even though she didn't really see anything wrong with it, she was still secretly happy Ralph had given her money.

The line moved pretty quickly, and soon it was time for them to pick out their food. "I'll have a mac n' cheese, please!" Taffyta told the attendant sweetly.

"Me too!" Candlehead said quickly.

They looked at Vanellope, eyebrows raised.

"Ah…me too, I guess." Vanellope shrugged.

"And me." Rancis finished.

Taffyta giggled. "Oh, Rancis! How sweet! You ordered the same thing as me!" Her and Candlehead broke into a fit of laughter.

Rancis looked highly confused. "What?"

Vanellope did as well. What was so funny about that?

After they'd gotten their food, Taffyta turned towards Rancis. "Sorry Rancis, but you're going to have to sit somewhere else today."

"What?" Rancis exclaimed again.

"We like, need girl time with Vanellope?" Candlehead said. Vanellope noticed that she had a tendency to say everything like it was a question.

"Whatever." Rancis said, stalking off to join Swizzle and Gloyd.

"He's so funny, right?" Taffyta laughed again.

"Sort of." Vanellope said, still not seeing the humor of the situation.

Taffyta found them a table right in the center of the cafeteria. It seemed like everyone respected her, she was even friends with some 5th graders. "So, how are you liking our school so far?" she asked, taking a sip of water.

"It's great!" Vanellope smiled. "I don't know why I was so worried before!"

"You were worried?" Taffyta raised an eyebrow.

Vanellope blushed. "A little."

"Well, you shouldn't be, because our school is like, awesome?" Candlehead smiled.

A couple of seconds passed before Taffyta blurted out, "So what do you think of Gloyd?"

"What?" Vanellope said.

"Well, okay, here's the deal." Taffyta said, smiling at her. "If there's one thing I've learned from my older sisters and TV, it's that to be popular and pretty, you have to have a boyfriend."

"A what?!" Vanellope said, choking on her soda.

"A boyfriend! Haven't you ever heard of one?" Taffyta smirked.

Vanellope's face burned beet red. "Yes, but I-"

"And there's only 3 boys in our class, and Candlehead's already likes Swizzle." Taffyta went on, ignoring her.

"And Taffyta likes Rancis." Candlehead chirped in. "They're like sooo cute together?"

Taffyta blushed. "Thanks Candlehead! But anyways, that only leaves Gloyd, so if you want to be awesome, you need to like him."

Vanellope glanced over at the boys' table. Currently they were trying to balance as many grapes as they could on a spoon, while holding the spoon in their mouths.

"But…I don't like him." Vanellope said. "Not like _that _anyways. I don't want a boyfriend." She thought about what Ralph had said. He thought she was awesome, and that was without her having a boyfriend. Why wasn't that enough for them too?

Taffyta looked surprised. Her smile vanished. "Why not? Gloyd is like, so funny!"

"Yeah!" Candlehead said.

Vanellope looked despondent. "I just…don't, I guess. Why don't we talk about something else?"

"Alright." Taffyta said, after a minute or two of silence.

Vanellope smiled at her, but Taffyta just turned away to talk to Candlehead.

* * *

Soon the bell to signal the end of lunch rang, and all the students filed back to their classes. "What do we have now?" Vanellope asked Taffyta and Candlehead.

"We go to math class with Professor Felix." Taffyta said, rolling her eyes. "As if math itself wasn't bad enough."

"Whaddya mean?" Vanellope asked, getting that queasy feeling back.

"He's just like, so weird, okay?" Taffyta said. "He talks like he's a hillbilly or something, and…ugh he's just weird."

Vanellope frowned. She remembered when Ralph had taken her to meet Felix. He had been very nice to her. He showed her how to make the perfect cherry pie and how to solve 1,000 piece puzzles. How was that so weird?

She considered telling Taffyta these things, but decided against it.

Felix's classroom was very nice. It was neat and organized, and had happy sayings on the wall like, "Shoot for the stars!" and "Be the best you can be!"

Felix was standing by the door and shaking everyone's hands as they walked in. "Welcome!" He said. "How was your summer?" When he saw Vanellope, he smiled. "Vanellope, how nice to see you again!"

Vanellope smiled. "You too!" She shook his hand cheerfully.

"Oh my gob, do you _know _him?" Taffyta gasped as they walked away. Candlehead reached out to shake Felix's hand but Taffyta pulled her away with a dirty look.

Vanellope paused. She knew it wouldn't be good to lie, but what if Taffyta didn't want to be her friend anymore after she told her? "Um…only a little." She mumbled.

Taffyta eyed her carefully as they found their seats.

Felix was a really nice teacher, Vanellope decided. He made a lot of jokes that everyone laughed at, except for Taffyta of course. She just rolled her eyes. He gave them joke sheets that were math assignments combined, a much better way to do homework, in Vanellope's opinion. And he always would help anyone who asked for it. She just couldn't see why anyone wouldn't like him. He was just so…_nice! _

At the end of the class, Felix waved goodbye to everyone, and gave Vanellope a thumbs up. She waved back.

Soon Vanellope's first day was over. Taffyta, Rancis and Candlehead all rode the same bus as her, so they all walked outside together.

"So we have to sit 2 to a seat, which is perfect since there are four of us now." Taffyta said.

Vanellope felt a surge of glee at hearing Taffyta include her. When they got on the bus, Taffyta practically pushed Candlehead and Vanellope into a seat. She happily sat next to Rancis in the seat across from them. Vanellope rubbed her back. It had banged uncomfortably against the window.

As the bus lurched forward, Candlehead tried to start a conversation with her, but it was always things having to do with Taffyta, like what Vanellpe thought Taffyta would do if she brought her a cookie tomorrow, or if Taffyta was on a desert island would she choose to bring her or Rancis. Vanellope was tired by then, so her answers came out as mumbled replies. She rested her head against the window and watched the blue sky fly in a mystical blur.

It turned out that Vanellope's house was the first stop, which made her happy since she found herself anxious to get home. She felt as if at school she was walking across a rickety bridge, always on her toes. She was always worrying what people, and Taffyta, were saying about her. Ralph made her feel comfortable.

She waved goodbye to everyone and walked up to her front door. It was locked, so she got out her key Ralph had given her. _I bet Taffyta doesn't have her own house key, _Vanellope found herself thinking.

When she got inside, she let out a sigh she didn't know she'd been holding back. She slowly toddled over to the couch and curled up. Within minutes she was asleep.

* * *

Felix knocked on the office's door. A few minutes ago, Gene had called him, saying he had important news for him. The first day back had gone surprisingly well. The kids had been well-behaved and he'd gotten to see all his colleagues again. And he got to have a class with Vanellope! He was happy to see the positive effect she was having on Ralph. He'd never seen him smile so much.

"Come in." Gene called from behind the door.

"You said you had big news?" Felix asked, walking in. He held his hat in his hands.

"Yes, yes." Gene said smiling. "I called you because I know you're one of the finest individuals we have working here. And I can trust you with big responsibilities."

Felix blushed. "Why thank you, sir!"

"Take a seat." Gene said, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. Felix did so immediately. Gene sighed. "Well, as sorry as I am to say, this year we are going to be short a staff member."

Felix gasped. "Oh no! What happened?"

Gene stood up to face the window. "Zangief has quit."

Felix looked shocked. "Well, why on earth would he do that?"

Gene's annoyed look crossed his face. "He said that he just had to quit because his inner soul was moving him to pursue his 'true dream': professional wrestling."

"Well, no one should stand in the way of anyone else's dream, right?" Felix smiled.

Gene didn't. "Well now we don't have a gym teacher. _Luckily, _I was able to find someone willing to take the job temporarily, until we can find someone else.'

Felix breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good!"

"She starts tomorrow," Gene continued, "And she's kind of new to town, so I was wondering if you could come in early tomorrow to show her around the school."

"Of course!" Felix exclaimed. "It'd be my pleasure!"

Gene smiled. "I knew I could count on you Felix! You'll need to be here at 7:00 tomorrow morning, you can meet her in the lobby."

Felix nodded. "Can do!" He got up to leave.

"Oh and Felix?" Gene called when he had reached the door. Felix turned to look at him. "Be extra gentle with her, she comes from a…let's just say a rough past."


	11. When Felix Met Tamora

Felix paced back and forth in the lobby. It was 7:10, and the new gym teacher wasn't here yet. Well, _substitute_ gym teacher. He hoped everything was all right. What if they had gotten lost, or even hurt, Felix wondered. He wrung his hat in his hands absentmindedly. He sat down on the bench next to the trophy case and tried to calm himself.

Ralph had called last night him to talk to him about work and Vanellope. Ralph worked as a demolition expert, which was nice for him. Ever since he was young, he had had a tendency for…well…wrecking things. Not on purpose, of course. But at least now he could do it for money. Felix was content teaching. He loved helping others, especially children. Ralph had sounded so happy over the phone about how well Vanellope's first day had gone. He also asked Felix to keep an eye or her, to make sure that she was okay. Felix agreed, of course. He'd do anything for either of them.

It'd been Felix who suggested Ralph look into adoptions in the first place. Ralph had been so lonely and sad all the time, but he didn't know what to do about it. When Felix suggested it in the first place, Ralph had been uneasy about it. "I don't know how to take care of kids! That's your thing!" He had exclaimed."I can barely take care of a _plant_."

"Ralph, this could be really could for you." Felix told him. "If there's one thing I know, there's nothing like the love of a child."

Ralph had told him last night how thankful he was for Felix convincing him to do it. Felix could practically feel his happiness oozing out of the phone

Felix smiled. He glanced at his watch. was she?

Just as Felix was getting up to go talk to Gene, the two double doors flew open. Felix put his hat back on and stood up straight. "Sorry I'm late," a voice said. "I'm still not used to getting around this place."

"That's quite alright m'am." Felix said. "All the different streets can be a little-" He paused. As much as he knew how rude it was to stare at a lady, his mind was a little blank at the moment. His heart leapt into his throat. She was the most beautiful, no-gorgeous, no…_stunning, _woman he'd ever seen. She had short, messy blonde hair, and silvery blue eyes that seemed to piece right _through_ him. She was tall, too. A lot taller than him, actually. But it didn't matter to him, not at all. "Jiminy Jaminy!" He breathed.

A look of confusion crossed her face. "Um, you okay there short stack?"

Felix gulped and nodded. His face burnt bright red. "Yes, of course m'am."

"You don't have to call me m'am." She said, smirking slightly. "The name's Tamora. Tamora Calhoun."

_Tamora, what beautiful name! _Felix almost sighed aloud.

"So…ah, aren't you supposed to show me around or something?" She asked him, bringing Felix back to reality.

"Ah, yes!" Felix said, standing up straight. "Right this way, just follow me!"

Tamora nodded.

Felix blushed.

**A/N: I hope that you liked that little drabble. Gotta love Hero's Cuties, am I right? Reviews make me happy. Happy like Felix is right now. ;) **


	12. Blue-Eyed Monster

"Okay, settle down class," Miss Mary said. "The bell has rung which means it's time for class to start."

"No, duh." Taffyta whispered to Vanellope and Candlehead. Candlehead laughed, and Vanellope couldn't hold back a giggle.

"Shh!" Adorabeezle whispered to them, putting a finger to her lips.

Taffyta made a face at her, but quieted down.

"We have a lot of stuff to do today, so we need to get started right away." Miss Mary said, walking to the front of the room. "We'll first start off practicing our spelling words. I'll pair you up which each other so you can quiz your partner."

Candlehead shut her eyes and said (loudly), "Please let me be with Taffyta, Lord!" Everyone turned to look at her. Candlehead opened one eye. "Did I just say that out loud?" She asked Vanellope.

Vanellope held back her laughter as she nodded.

"_Anyways." _Miss Mary said. "I will tell you your partners." She got out a yellow lined pad of paper and read off the list. "Swizzle, you will be with Minty. Snowanna and Crumbelina-you'll be partners. Gloyd, you'll be with Candlehead. Vanellope-"

Vanellope crossed her fingers.

"You'll be with Rancis."

"What?!" Taffyta hissed, a look of anger passing her face. She glared at Vanellope.

Vanellope gave her a sorry look. "It's not my fault!" She whispered.

"Whatever." Taffyta said, crossing her arms.

"And Taffyta and Jubileena will be together..." Miss Mary said, but Vanellope didn't hear the rest of the pairings. All she could feel was Taffyta's cold stare stabbing into her. But what was she supposed to do? Miss Mary was in charge, not her! And it's not like she and Rancis were going on a date, or anything. They just were studying their spelling! Vanellope sighed. She was learning quickly that Taffyta could be a little…dramatic about things.

"All right, now get to work!" Miss Mary finished.

Vanellope went over sat down in the desk next to Rancis. "Um…do you want to go first?" She asked. She still didn't really know him. Was he mean or nice? Funny or boring? Vanellope could usually read people instantly, but with all these new students, she was having a little trouble.

Rancis shrugged. "Sure."

Around 10 minutes later, they finished and were sent back to their seats. Taffyta made a point of turning away from Vanellope.

"So, like, what happened?" Candlehead whispered to Vanellope.

"I told you, nothing!" Vanellope exclaimed quietly. "We just did our spelling!"

Candlehead smiled and turned to Taffyta. "See? I told you! Now you don't have to be mad at her anymore!" She said, poking her. Taffyta remained silent.

Vanellope froze in her seat. Taffyta was mad? She didn't want to make her mad.

Before she could say anything to her though, Miss Mary began talking again, and she was forced into silence.

Soon, 5th period came-gym class. All the 3rd Graders had to go into their appropriate locker rooms to get changed. Vanellope had only a mismatched blue T-Shirt and sweatpants. Taffyta had a matching pink-and-white tracksuit. Vanellope made a mental note to ask Ralph to get her one. Taffyta also had this nice-smelling spray that she let Vanellope use. It was called "Sweet Vanilla Mint" and Taffyta said it cost $50, so she better not break it if she knew what was good for her. Vanellope had looked frightened at this, but Taffyta had broken into a smile and said, "I'm _kidding." _Vanellope then smiled, relieved.

"Did you hear that we got a new PE teacher?" Jubileena was saying now.

"No?" Candlehead said.

"Do you know who it is?" Crumbelina asked.

Jubileena shrugged. "No, only that it's a girl."

"Good. Zangief was weird." Taffyta said, fluffing her hair in the mirror.

Vanellope wondered if there were any teachers in this school that Taffyta didn't think were "weird."

Taffyta turned to Vanellope and Candlehead. "Are you guys ready?" she asked.

Vanellope nodded.

"Wait!" Candlehead exclaimed. "I'm not done yet! I can't tie my shoes! I can't remember; does the bunny go around or under the tree?"

"What. Are you. Talking about?" Taffyta snapped. She turned towards Vanellope. "C'mon let's go."

Vanellope followed her into the gym. It was so big! Much bigger than the "recreational center" they'd had at the orphanage. She quickly focused back on her present situation. She didn't like thinking about the orphanage. Ever.

The 3 boys were already lined up on one side of the large room. Taffyta tried to wave to Rancis, but he wasn't paying attention to her. She scowled.

Soon all the other girls were out and all the kids had to line up in alphabetical order. A tall, blonde, slender woman walked out of the gym's office. All the kids quieted down immediately, even Taffyta. She didn't look _scary _exactly, at least not to Vanellope. But she looked like one of those teachers you shouldn't mess around with. Vanellope had had _plenty _of experience with those before.

"Alright, listen up everyone!" The lady said strictly. "My name's Ms. Calhoun, but you can call me coach. I'll be your new gym teacher, temporarily. I'm going to take roll call and then we can-" She paused when she saw Gloyd raise his hand in the air. "Yes?"

"What happened to Coach Zangief?" He asked.

Calhoun sighed. "He decided that he wanted to do wrestling more than he wanted to have a job." She said, rolling her eyes slightly. She didn't understand why anyone would give up a steady job to chase after some half-wit dream. While teaching children how to kick a ball wasn't an ideal, she had to admit, it was still better than nothing. It was going to keep her electricity on-which was enough for her. Calhoun didn't believe in dreams. They were pointless, futile even. They kept your head in the clouds instead of where it should be-right here.

She shook her head, not wanting to start off on another one of her head-rants. "Anyways, I'll call off your names and you'll say here, alright?" They nodded. "Batterbutter, Torvald?"

"Here!"

"Bing-Bing, Jubileena?"

"Here!"

"Brumblestain, Nougetsia?"

"Present!"

"DiCarmello, Crumbelina?"

"I'm here!"

"Fluggerbutter, Rancis?"

"Yup."

"Flugpucker, Citrusella?"

"Here!"

"Lowes, Candlehead?"

"Actually my name's Candlehead Lowes?" A voice called. "You have to put my first name in the _front." _

Calhoun gripped her clipboard. God, these kids had messed-up names. She went down the rest of the list, than put the board to the side. "So your old teacher left me some notes about what you guys do here." She said, walking up and down the line.

Taffyta raised her hand. "Yes! I know! On the first day we have a running race, and whoever wins gets one of the big lollipops!"

Calhoun nodded. "Yes, I am aware of that. So, we'll have a race to see who can run 4 laps around the gym the fastest. But you need to stretch first so I'll give you 3 minutes first."

The kids broke off into their separate friend groups to stretch.

"This race is going to be so exciting?" Candlehead said. "They're always so much fun!"

"Taffyta has won every year," Rancis explained to Vanellope. "She's definitely the fastest. Though Gloyd and I came close last year."

Taffyta had a look on her face that was torn between pleasure, pride, and annoyance. "It wasn't _that _close." She finally huffed.

Vanellope stretched her legs in a butterfly pose as she thought. She had never done any kind of running race before. She didn't even know if she was good or not at running. She didn't have much more time to think about it though; Coach Calhoun blew her whistle and ordered all the kids to gather together at the starting line.

She ran over quickly, not wanting to fall behind. The kids were all pushing and nudging each other to get into the front of the line. Calhoun held her whistle near her mouth. "1, 2," She counted slowly, her arm raised in the air. "3!" She blew her whistle and they all took off. Some quickly fell behind, like Snowanna and Candlehead.

But Vanellope was surprised to find herself only in 3rd place, she was just behind Taffyta and Swizzle. The sounds of 15 pairs of feet smacking against the shiny wood floor echoed across the gym, mixed with some loud shouts, squeals, and panting. 3 laps later, they were nearing the finish line, but Vanellope was still in 3rd. _C'mon Vanellope, you can do it! _She thought, pushing herself forward. She shut her eyes and ran as fast as she could, focusing her mind on reaching the finish line. Her legs were hurting and her heart felt it was about to burst, but she didn't stop. She ran and ran and ran until she heard Coach Calhoun blow her whistle.

"Vanellope wins!" She heard someone shout. She opened her eyes. Her classmates were running up to her to give her high-fives. She felt her heart surge with pleasure. "Wow, good job Vanellope!"

Calhoun walked over to her and handed her a big pink lollipop that had a white swirl in the middle.

"You were awesome Vanellope!" Sticky said.

"Yeah, you even beat Taffyta!" Rancis exclaimed. "That's never happened before!" He gave her a high-five. Gloyd fist-bumped her. Citrusella patted her on the back.

Vanellope beamed.

"Okay everyone, let's stay focused, we still have stuff we can do before class ends." Calhoun said. "Everyone back in line."

The kids all headed back to the wall, chattering excitedly. Vanellope turned to smile at Taffyta and congratulate her on second place. But when she did, her body went cold.

If looks could kill, Taffyta's would be right now. Her eyes were so narrow they were almost shut, and her hands were clenched into fists. Her mouth was so scrunched up; it looked like she'd been sucking on a lemon-for an _hour. _Everything about her screamed one thing:

_You are so dead. _

* * *

**A/N: And cue the thunder and lightning…Look, I know this is supposed to be fluffy, and don't worry, it still will be, but there has to be drama for a story to go anywhere. Thanks for reading, BTW! Anyways, if you have any questions or comments about anything, leave a review below!**

**Kkman57: **Well, we all know how much of a ladies' man Felix is…dot dot dot

**Dance4Life060700: **Thank you so much! Thanks for reading!

**Adventurer-Extraordinaire: **Please don't die! You won't regenerate! :)


	13. The 30-Minute Rule

Vanellope sighed as she laid her back against the warm ground. Her first week of school was officially over-and it had been nuts! She'd gone from being best friends with one of the coolest girls in school, to number 1 on her most wanted list-and not in a good way. Taffyta still hadn't talked to her since Wednesday, when they'd had the race. Candlehead didn't seem to be mad at her, but as she had said to her Thursday morning in the hallways, "I can't talk to you anymore! Taffyta will be like, mad at me?"

Taffyta hadn't done anything to her, _yet. _But Vanellope could feel it coming. It was like that few hours before a storm when the clouds go dark, and the sun blinks out. You can hear the soft roll of thunder, but there's no lightning or even rain. There's only silence and gray.

Vanellope had tried to talk to other kids to distract her. Jubileena and Adorabeezle had been very nice to her. She'd even hung out with Sticky and Nougetsia a couple times. But she still couldn't shake that suspenseful feeling looming over her.

She shook her head, trying to chase all the negative thoughts away. It was Saturday, it was _warm, _and now she had another day to spend with Ralph.

"Hey, kid!" She heard Ralph call. His heavy footsteps came closer to her, along with the sound of scattering sand. "Are you just going to lie there all day? You'll probably get sunburned."

Vanellope smiled and slid her sunglasses over her eyes. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" She said in her best prissy-voice.

"I think so. You kinda live in my house." Ralph smirked. He reached down and picked her up.

Vanellope squealed as her sunglasses fell off her face and onto her towel. "Hey, what are you doing?" She exclaimed as he set her on his shoulder. "I was getting in touch with my inner chi," She added jokingly.

"Well, you can do that later!" Ralph laughed, heading over towards the water. "You know how to swim, right?" He asked.

"Yeah but-"

"Good." With one swift motion, Ralph picked her off his shoulder and pitched her into the water.

Vanellope popped out, her hair plastered to her face. "Ralph!" She exclaimed, torn between anger and amusement. "That wasn't funny!" Her face was filled with a huge smile, though.

Ralph laughed but quickly stopped when he saw Vanellope duck under the water-and not come up.

"Vanellope?" He called, looking around him.

Suddenly, a tickling sensation passed his legs under the water. Ralph jumped and yelped. Vanellope popped up in front of him laughing. "I could hear that all the way under the water!" She giggled gleefully.

Ralph had that same torn look Vanellope had a few seconds previous. Finally, he smiled. "Okay, you got me kid."

"Ralph, Vanellope!" Someone called from the shore. Felix waved them over. Oh yeah, he was there too. They were having burgers and hot dogs for lunch, but as they all knew, Ralph couldn't make anything to save his life, and Vanellope was only 8. This being so, Felix had been assigned to grilling the food. "I finished everything!" He said, looking pleased.

Vanellope smiled. "I bet I can get there before you!" She said.

"I highly doubt that, the fact being that I-" But before Ralph could even finish, Vanellope was off and running. Well, as fast as you can run in water.

Ralph chased after her, and after catching up to her and telling her what a cheater she was, the two joined Felix on the picnic blanket they'd brought.

"Wow, Felix, this looks awesome." Ralph said, taking a plate.

Felix smiled. "Why, thank you Ralph!"

Vanellope smiled as she took two burgers and sandwiched them between her roll. Then she took a big handful of potato chips and a large spoonful of baked beans. Felix couldn't help but gaping slightly. Ralph smiled at him. "Yeah, she eats a lot. You'll get used to it." He explained.

Vanellope found herself feeling slightly awkward that she was hanging out with her _teacher, _but when she thought about it, she'd met him as a friend first, so it wasn't _that _weird, right? She smiled as Felix opened the cooler so she could pick out a soda. She quickly finished her food and headed back to the water.

"Hey kid, what are you doing?" Ralph called.

"Swimming, gadoi!" Vanellope said.

Ralph frowned. "You can't do that; you're supposed to wait 30 minutes after eating to-"

Vanellope made a noise that was halfway between a snort and a neigh. "Yeah, but everyone knows that's just baloney, right?" She said, waving the idea away.

Ralph sighed. "Fine, but let me just put some more sunblock on you." She ran over, and 5 minutes later was back splashing around in the sparkling water.

Ralph smiled and turned to face the shore so he could keep an eye on her.

"You're a good dad, Ralph." He heard Felix say to him.

Ralph blushed. "Not really, I'm just…I just do stuff for her that she needs, that's all." He flustered.

"But look how much she's warmed up to you!" Felix exclaimed. "You really have made a difference on her, I can tell."

Ralph looked over at Vanellope. "You really think so?" He asked, a smile playing on the corners of his lips.

"Yes." Felix said, smiling at him.

Ralph turned his head away from him, not wanting Felix to see the silly grin on his face. He coughed and tried to change the subject. Ralph wasn't that big on talking about his feelings. "So how's school been going for you?" He asked, watching as Vanellope did jumps and twirls in the water.

Felix sighed happily. "Oh Ralph it's been going great! Really, really great!"

Ralph eyed him. "Okay, spit it out. You've obviously got something going on."

Felix adverted his eyes. "I…I don't know what you're talking about." He said. Unfortunately for him though, Felix was an awful liar. A big, goofy smile broke across his face immediately, and his cheeks turned a bright shade of pink.

"_Felix." _Ralph said, leaning towards him and smiling. "Do want me to get Vanellope? Because she's a dang good tickler. And I can assure you she'll tickle it right out of you."

Felix blushed some more. "Oh, alright." He finally said, although he didn't look like telling Ralph was going to be such a big nuisance for him. "I…I met someone."

Ralph looked surprised. It wasn't often that Felix fell for women. He was very old-fashioned and wasn't exactly a…ladies' man. While Ralph couldn't cook, Felix couldn't flirt. At all. "Who is it?" He asked.

"She's taking Zangief's position as the gym teacher." Felix said, his voice getting high-pitched. "And Gene had me show her around her first day and-" He sighed again. "Oh Ralph, she really is special. She gives me the honeyglows somethin' awful!" He dreamily stared off into the distance.

Ralph tried not to laugh at Felix. "You don't say? The honeyglows?"

Felix didn't catch his sarcasim. Instead he just nodded.

Ralph chuckled slightly. "Boy buddy, I can tell you've got it bad."

Felix looked at him. "But what should I do?" He said, suddenly looking tense. "I'm…I'm not good with ladies, especially beautiful ones."

Ralph smiled and shrugged. "I'm not much better than you. I haven't dated anyone in ages."

Felix looked discouraged. "Every time I try to talk to her, it's like my whole body freezes up and I can't do or say anything." He put his face in his hands. "Yesterday she came into the lounge to ask where the sugar for coffee was, and I couldn't even answer! I just…just stood there!" He sounded very angry with himself. "So finally Mary had to show her. It was so embarrassing!"

Ralph whistled. "Yikes. Look, Felix, just take things one step at a time. Just be nice to her. Like, hold doors open for her or whatever. Ask her about her day; bring her a bagel or something for breakfast. Chicks eat that stuff up."

Felix looked over at him. "Really?"

Ralph nodded. "Oh, yeah."

Felix sat up straighter. "Alright…I…I could try that, I guess." He said, looking happier. "Thank you!"

Ralph shrugged. "Anytime."

Just then Vanellope ran up to them. "Ralph!" She exclaimed angrily. "This stupid seaweed wrapped around my legs and now it won't come off! And it's sticky and itchy!"

Ralph could barely see her legs anymore; they were covered with strands of the green plant. "Come here," he laughed. "I'll get it."

"And also," Vanellope added as Ralph began removing all the seaweed off her legs, "I think I need to lie down a little. My stomach isn't feeling right for some reason."

"Baloney." Ralph smiled.

* * *

**A/N: My internet wasn't working this weekend, so instead of binge-watching 30 Rock like I'd planned, I wrote more of this. Which is good, I guess. Also, I ordered **_**The Art of Wreck-It-Ralph, **_**and it finally came! So I was also distracted pouring over that. BTW, it's AMAZING. And it wasn't that much, either. I got it off of Barnes and for $23 and threw in a bookmark so I could get free shipping. All together it cost $27, and I got it in 3 days! If you want to buy it I would recommend this path. So yeah. R&R! **

**~Thanks to everyone who helped me learn how to spell last chapter. **

**The song that inspired this btw, is **_**Sunburn, **_**by Owl City. Only not in a romantic way. **


	14. Falling for Calhoun

Felix strode confidently intro R. Moore Elementary, his spirits soaring. Today was the day, he could feel it. He'd given himself a pep talk in the morning. _You can do it, _he'd told himself. _It's just talking. _Even as he replayed it through his mind though, Felix couldn't stop his arms and legs from shaking.

"Hello Felix!" Someone called from across the parking lot.

Felix's heart skipped a beat, but he relaxed when he saw it was just Mary. She hurried over and smiled up at him. "Hello Mary." Felix said, trying to think of anyone but Tamora at the moment. This would be good practice for him. "How was your weekend?"

Mary blushed, looking pleased that he had asked. "It went very well; I got to visit my mother."

"That's good." Felix said. _See! _He told himself. _If you can talk to Mary, you can talk to Tamora. _"Are you still making cakes on the side?"

Mary giggled. "Yes I am, I didn't know that you noticed Felix!"

"Well, of course I did!" Felix exclaimed, smiling at her. "You always bring them to the teachers' get-togethers, and they always come out so-" He froze as she saw Tamora pull in from across the parking lot. She got out of her car and headed over to the building. Her short hair was ruffled and messy as usual, but it looked perfect to Felix. She had on dark-rinse jeans and a black tank, layered with a gray jacket. She didn't seem to have seen either Felix or Mary, in fact, her eyes were staring straight ahead and she walked briskly.

_C'mon, this is your chance! _Felix thought, his heart rate steadily increasing. _She's _right _there_! _Just get to the door before she does! _

"They come out so what, Felix?" A voice said, floating into his brain and shaking him back to consciousness. He blinked and looked down to see Mary gazing up at him, a worried expression on her face.

"Lovely." Felix stammered. "Really, they're amazing!"

Mary beamed.

Felix began inching away. "I'm really sorry Mary, but I have to-" His voice trickled off into nothingness as he hurried towards the front doors.

He was almost there-only a couple of feet away when-

He tripped. "Aah!" He yelped, falling flat on his face. His papers went flying everywhere and he could feel the cool sensation of his iced tea seeping into his clothes.

"Sweet mercy! Are you okay Felix?" Mary exclaimed, rushing over to him.

Felix wished the ground would open up and suck him in-he wanted to disappear. Thankfully, Tamora still seemed oblivious to the whole event and walked inside the school. Felix sighed.

"I'm fine Mary. Just fine."

* * *

**A/N: Oh Felix. **

** Yeah, that's all I got to say about this. Oh and also that, whenever I edit my Docs on here, it says, "Success!" And I always read it in King Candy's voice. I know, I know, it's weird but whatever. **


	15. That Annoying Sound

Vanellope walked over to her desk and sat down. Taffyta and Candlehead were talking, but stopped immediately when they saw her join them.

"Good morning, guys!" Vanellope said, plastering the best smile she could onto her face. "How was your weekend?"

Taffyta turned to Candlehead. "Do you hear something?" She asked, ignoring Vanellope.

Candlehead looked confused. "What? Yes?" Taffyta glared at her. "I mean, no, I don't hear anything."

"Well, _I _do," Taffyta said, throwing Vanellope a harsh look. "Something really, really annoying that I wish would just _shut up_."

Candlehead's eyes widened, finally catching on. "Oh me too," She laughed.

Vanellope shrunk back in her seat, her eyes starting to sting. "Taffyta, I'm really sorry about the race," she whispered to the floor. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. And I told you, I don't like Rancis."

But Taffyta didn't want any of it. "Oh my gob, what _is _that noise!" She just said. "It's _so _annoying!" Her and Candlehead broke into laughter.

Adorabeezle sat there looking uncomfortable, but said nothing in Vanellope's defense.

Vanellope turned away from them, walking over to stand by the classroom window. She felt her eyes watering and she sniffled. She wondered what would happen if she just ran-if she jumped out the window and ran all the way home. They were only on the first floor, so it wouldn't hurt or anything. Maybe Ralph hadn't left for work yet. Maybe she could just go with him. He might even let her push the button that blows up the building. Vanellope pictured blowing up Taffyta's house. Not with her in it, of course. But it'd still be fun.

Just as she was seriously beginning to plan her escape, Vanellope heard someone call her name. She turned her head to see Gloyd, Swizzle and Rancis waving her over to their desks. She felt her heart lighten. Quickly wiping her eyes and nose, she walked over to them. "What's up guys?" She asked.

"Gloyd got this awesome racecar book." Swizzle said. "It even has the real NASCAR driver's signatures in it! And it has picture of all the cars and how fast they go!"

Vanellope's eyes widened. "Cool!" She exclaimed, leaning over to look.

"That one's the fastest," Rancis said, pointing to a picture of a bright, shiny car.

"It's so sweet!" Vanellope squealed. "I can't wait 'till I can drive! I'm going to get a car just like that!"

"Not if I get it first!" Gloyd said, smiling impishly at her.

"Like that'll happen!" Vanellope smiled back. "I'm going to be the fastest racer ever, when I grow up!"

"Well, we can settle it now!" Swizzle said. "Me, Gloyd and Rancis like to have car races at recess." He explained. "You can come, too if you want. All you need is a remote-controlled car."

"Or are you a chicken?" Gloyd smirked.

Vanellope frowned. She didn't have a car, but if she said no, Gloyd would think she was just too scared. "You've got a deal." She finally said. "I'll bring my car…tomorrow."

"Awesome!" Rancis said. "This is going to be great!"

Vanellope smiled and nodded as the bell rang, trying to ignore the nervous feeling rising in her stomach. She headed back over to her seat.

"What did they say to you?" Taffyta hissed, leaning her face towards Vanellope. "I saw you talking to them!"

Vanellope ignored her and turned towards Adorabeezle. "I'm sorry Adorabeezle, do you hear something? It's really annoying and I just wish it would shut up."

Adorabeezle giggled behind her hand.

Taffyta gasped.

Candlehead just looked confused.

* * *

**A/N: Apply water to that burn! Hope you enjoyed! More coming soon! **

**ForkOnTheLeft****:** I'm glad you like the story, and yeah, that's a lot of why Taffyta doesn't like her, but there's also a lot of other stuff going on, but that'll be revealed later. And also, I love that you quoted Diary of a Wimpy Kid. A+ for you.

**kairi's friend: **Oh yes, I've been musing over King Candy _forever _now, there's just so many questions that surround him, like should her be secretly evil, what role/job would her have, etc. I want to, but I don't think he'll wind up in this. But if I think of anything (or someone else shares an idea) that I like, he'll defiantly be in this. I mean, he's one of the main characters after all!

**MyNoseAgreesWithMe: **Yeah, since Calhoun's a real person, her and her fiancée or boyfriend or whatever aren't in Hero's Duty. There's just other people. Otherwise that would have been kinda crazy! :) I love your Private Markowski idea, I might just use it, but I still got a lot of other ideas floating around. Thanks for reading!


	16. Technically

"And then the…the ruffian had the gall to say I was in the wrong!" Gene said, his face red and his fists flying. "Imagine that! Good for nothing communist."

Felix sat next to him in the teacher's workroom, twirling his coffee stirrer around in his cup of tea-iced of course. He watched as the tea bag's leaves slowly dissolved, blending with the water and sugar. "Wow, Gene." He sighed. "That's really…annoying." He realized that he hadn't really been paying attention to his story whatsoever. The events of this morning still hung over him like a plague. He shuddered, wanting to forget the whole event entirely.

"Is something troubling you, Felix?" Gene asked. "You've barely said a word! And you're not smiling! You always smile Felix!"

Felix looked at him, his expression bleak. "I'm sorry, Gene." He said, trying to grin as best as he could. "I've just got a lot on my mind right now."

Gene looked alarmed. "Well, Felix, you know that you can always tell me _anything, _right?" He put his hand on Felix's shoulder. "Anytime you have a problem, just come to me, buddy."

Felix smiled awkwardly, starting to feel uncomfortable. "Of course!" He said.

Gene smiled, looking proud of himself.

Suddenly, Felix's heart beat increased 1,000 times when Calhoun walked into the room. She had an annoyed expression on her face. Felix gulped, but he almost passed out when he saw she was walking over…to _him! _

"Hey pint-sized, I need to speak to you." She said, looking down at him.

A loud roaring noise filled Felix's ears and his heart seemed to be beating so loud that the kids would be able to hear it outside on the playground. "Of…of course m'am. Anything!" He stammered, relieved he was able to get words out this time around. He got up out of his chair and stood in front of her.

Calhoun leaned down. "Bill told me you were handy with a toolbox." She said.

Felix shook with glee on the spot, she'd been talking about him! Well, technically. "Y-yes." He said.

"Well, could you help me set up my file cabinet?" She said, looking frustrated with herself. She held up her thumb, which was bright red and swollen with a bandage wrapped around it. "As you can see, I'm not exactly blessed in that department."

"Oh my land! What happened?" Felix exclaimed, holding her thumb for a closer look.

Calhoun shrugged. "It's nothing, just a flesh wound." She pulled away and stood up. "So you'll help me then?"

Felix nodded. "Yes!" He said, his heart pounding in his ears. "I'll fix it right up!"

"Great, meet me after school in my office," she said, turning to walk out the door. "I already got all the tools you'll need."

Felix nodded. He tried to say goodbye, but all that came out was a high-pitched squeak. It was like a _date_.

Technically.


	17. Second Chance

Ralph sat in his chair and sighed. It had been a long day, full of so many different sites they'd had to go to and it was already…only 12:00. He groaned and put his face on the table. This day was going to take forever.

"Tough day, Reilly?" One of his fellow workmen called, walking over to pour himself a cup of coffee.

Ralph shook his head. "Who knew so many people wanted to get rid of buildings?" He said, sliding over on the bench as other workers joined him. "We didn't even get to do any of the good stuff today," he continued, unwrapping a ham sandwich he'd packed himself this morning. "All we got to do was remove more glass and insulation."

"True, but it _is _important." Another worker said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Otherwise we would run great safety risks."

Ralph shrugged. "It's still boring."

"Speaking of boring-" the smell of cigarette smoke filled the air as a worker named Pete approached, sliding down next to them all. "What's this we hear about you getting a kid Reilly? Finally decided to settle down? Become a _daddy_?"

The other workers snickered into their food.

Ralph scowled at him. "It's nothing, alright? I have a right to do whatever I want to do. It doesn't concern you."

Pete chuckled. "Oh of course, I'm pretty used to that by now." He said dryly, leaning back in his chair. "It's just that…If I wanted to settle down, I'd find myself a woman first, and let her take care of the little brats, don't you agree?"

Ralph threw him an angered look. "Well, I don't really care about what you'd do." He said, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'm perfectly fine the way I am."

"So, are you going to start taking_ it_ to all our poker nights now? You can't go out anymore-you're tied down. You might as well quit your job now!" Pete said, drawing a long smoke. "You see, kids are like leeches," He said between puffs of smoke. "They grasp onto you and suck the life out of you until you're just a worthless corpse."

Ralph pushed the fury rising up in him back down. He knew Pete just wanted to get a reaction out of him; he harassed him like this daily. This time however, it was starting to push him over the edge. "You don't know what you're talking about, Pete." He said, looking him straight in the eye. "And she is not an _it. _She's amazing, and if anything, she's making me better."

Pete whistled dismissively. "You really think you can be a father Reilly? I know you-you're going to send her packing back to wherever the heck you got her from within a month. You can't handle it; you're just like me-a bad guy. Always have, always will be."

Ralph stood up, pushing the table away from him. "You don't know anything about me, Pete." He glared. "I'm not like you, I've changed. I don't need to prove it to anyone, especially you." He opened the workroom door and left, heading back to the worksite.

He kicked aside rocks angrily as he walked. Slowly, dark memories began to fill his head. He could almost still hear the sirens, the shots, the crying. He shook his head as images of his past re-entered his mind. Ralph sat down on a large rock and put his head between his knees, heaving.

He hated his childhood. His parents died when he was young in a freak accident, and he'd been bumped from foster home to foster home his whole life, some good, some bad. The longest he'd ever been with one family was when he lived in one of the worst areas of town. Crime and darkness thrived there, and he'd had to watch it unfold it in front of him. Soon it rubbed off on him, and he became full of all that pain and gloominess. This caused him to get moved to more and more homes, which caused him to feel more and more hurt. It started to seem like no one wanted him around. Then he'd met Pete, when they were both sophomores in high school. They were the bottom-feeders; they lived off of each other's pain. They cut class, smoked, and drank. It wasn't until senior year when Ralph got signed up for "peer assistance" after he'd spray-painted the side of the school with vulgarity. Felix had been his mentor, and Ralph had to visit him once a week, every week, for a "therapy" of sorts. At first he'd hated it, why should he have to waste his time with a goody-two-shoes hillbilly from nowheresville? But soon, Felix did what he did best-he brought out the nice-guy in him. Ralph actually had a friend who encouraged him, and helped him escape the darkness, not embrace it. Without Felix, Ralph never would have made it to community college. For all Ralph knew, he'd most likely be in jail.

When Pete saw the changes that were happening to Ralph, he had been disgusted. He felt like Ralph was ditching him for someone else. And ever since, he'd been trying to pull Ralph back. Back to the pain, fears, and misery.

But now things were different, Ralph had changed, he was a better person. And now he had Vanellope. And every morning when we woke up, he vowed to himself that he would never let what happened to him happen to her. He was going to guard her, protect her, and love her more than he'd ever loved anyone in his whole life.

She was his second chance.


	18. Different

Calhoun sat in her office chair, tapping her fingers impatiently on the desk. School had let out 10 minutes ago, and he wasn't here yet. She swore to God, if that little man stood her up she'd…Well, she didn't know what she'd do. She couldn't hit him or anything; he was too…too…innocent-looking. It'd feel like hitting a puppy or something.

She sighed, spinning around in her office chair. She knew she shouldn't have accepted this job. It was making her too stressed out. She laughed dryly to herself. Then again, when _wasn't _she stressed? Calhoun was always tired, bored, stressed, or upset. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd laughed, a real, true, genuine laugh.

She was startled from her thoughts by a shaky knock on the door. That must be him. "Uh, come in." She said, standing up.

Shorty walked in, looking flustered. "I'm so sorry I'm late m'am!" He stammered, wringing his blue baseball hat in his hands. "I forgot I had bus duty today, and I had to go outside to help the kids. I really didn't mean to be so late! I hope you'll excuse my impoliteness!" He looked up at her, his eyes practically pleading for her mercy.

Calhoun looked confused. No one else had cared so much about her gaining approval in a long time. "Look, it's fine!" She said. "I…it didn't really bother me that much."

He breathed out a small sigh of relief and smiled up at her. "So, where are the tools?" He asked, a serious look setting on his face. It looked weird on him. Every time he'd been around her, Calhoun noticed, he'd always had this dopey, sappy look on his face. She'd just assumed it was his neutral expression.

"Right over there," she pointed. "Next to all the parts."

He headed right over and got to work. "So…ah…are you enjoying things here so far?" He said, taking out a screwdriver.

Calhoun shrugged, and headed over to the rack of basketballs. She grabbed one and began to bounce it up and down absentmindedly. "It's fine, I guess." She muttered. Why did he care about her feelings, anyways? She put the ball down and leaned her back against the wall. "It's getting me by." She added, folding her arms across her chest. She could hear the faint sound of him humming away as he merrily assembled the cabinet. Her eyebrows raised into her hairline when she saw that he was already halfway done. "You seem to be getting that done quickly," she remarked, watching the back of his head bob about, his hands moving swiftly.

"Well, constructing is in my family." He explained, digging in the pile of parts for a screw. "My father was a carpenter, and so was my grandfather, and my great-grandfather!"

Calhoun felt a small prick of jealousy. For a second she found herself wishing she had known more about her family. She then stood up straighter scolded herself mentally, hating herself for getting to emotional. There were more things to care and worry about than families, after all. She was doing fine without one, wasn't she? "Why didn't you become one?" She asked instead.

His shoulders went up in a shrugging motion. "It's just not the career I wanted to have," he explained. "Building and fixin' stuff is more of a hobby for me." He stood back. "There! All fixed!"

Calhoun looked impressed. "Wow, it looks great." She said.

He shrugged. "Anytime m'am!"

Calhoun dug into her back pocket and reached for her wallet. "So, how much do you want?"

He looked confused. "Excuse me?"

She held up some cash. "Money? How much should I pay you? 10, 20?"

He looked appalled. "Oh m'am, I can't take your money-that'd be greedy! I just did this out of the goodness in my heart! I don't need anything!"

Calhoun raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Really? You don't want _anything?" _

He shook his head as he placed all the tools back into the box. "If you never need anything fixed," He said, heading towards the door, "You can call me-anytime, really. I'll always be here!"

Calhoun just nodded, still confused. Why would anyone do something for her, for _free, _just because they wanted to help her? People didn't do favors for Tamora Calhoun, and she didn't do favors back. It just didn't work that way. "But-" Her voice trailed off, not knowing exactly what to say to him.

"Have a swell night, m'am." He said, tipping his hat as he left.

She nodded briefly and mutely. _Pull yourself together, _she muttered mentally. _You're not going to let him get inside your head-he's just…different._ _That's it. _

She walked over to her newly assembled filing cabinet and opened the first drawer, not having any idea what she was going to put in it.

Because as hard as she tried, she couldn't get Felix out of her head.

**A/N: "It's so FLUFFY!" Yeah, I know that's not Wreck-It Ralph, but seriously, it's very fluffy. **

** : **Da da da da daaa…I'm glad you're loving it. :)

**HalfbreedDege:** When I wrote that last chapter, Pete was kinda just the first name I thought of, but now that I think about it it's perfect! It's one of awesome coincidences, you know?


	19. A Plea Deal

"But _Ralph!" _Vanellope exclaimed, hopping up and down on the spot. "I _need _it! I really, really do!"

Ralph sighed as he exclaimed a box of cereal. "Kid, that's what you said last time about that LEGO set, but that to my knowledge it is in the corner of your closet in a plastic bag."

Vanellope crossed her arms. "Yeah, well it's not my fault that the instructions were so dang hard to read. There weren't even any words!"

"The point is," Ralph said, throwing a box of Lucky Charms into the cart, "I can't just buy you whatever you want all the time. I'm not made of money!"

"I know that, stinkbrain." Vanellope huffed under her breath.

Ralph turned towards her, an amused look on his face. "What did you just call me?"

"Um, nothing," Vanellope said, smiling sweetly up at him. "But this time I mean it for real, I _really, really, really _need it!"

Ralph pushed on down the aisle, examining his list. "Oh yeah? Give me one good reason why you need it." He passed the freezers. "Do you want skim or 2% milk?"

"Ew, 2% all the way!" Vanellope said, making a gagging noise. "Skim milk is just cow water. And I need it because, if I don't get one, everyone in my class will think I'm a scaredy-baby!"

"I highly doubt that." Ralph said, grabbing two gallons. "Just because you don't have a car?"

"Uh, yeah?" Vanellope said, giving him her signature 'gadoi' look. "It's true!"

Ralph headed towards the ice cream and gave her a look. "Vanellope, those kids aren't going to hate you for not having a car."

Vanellope shook her head. "Yes they will, some of them already do, and this will be even more of a reason!"

Ralph looked concernedly down at her. "Vanellope, is everything okay at school? They aren't beating you around or anything, are they? Because if you're getting messed with I swear I'll head right down there and-"

Vanellope waved her hands. "No! Don't worry Ralph, everything's fine at school! The kids are being nice to me, really!" _Well, most of them, _she added mentally. "I just…I just really need this! I promise I'll never ask for anything ever again!"

Ralph looked at her warily.

"Well, actually, that's technically a lie, since I was going to ask if you could get those popsicles with the vanilla inside, or at least those Snickers that are actually ice cream, but other than that I'll never ask for anything!" She clasped her hands together and made her eyes as wide as possible. "Pwuh-reety pwheez?" She said, sticking out her bottom lip.

Ralph sighed in defeat. The pain of having a kid too adorable for their own good. "Alright, fine, I'll get you a car!" He said.

Vanellope cheered and jumped up in the air. "Yayyayyayayay! I'm going to get a car! I'm going to get a car!"

Ralph blushed as he saw other shoppers turn to stare at them. "Alright, alright kid, but just keep it down, will ya?"

Vanellope nodded gleefully at him.

"Okay," Ralph said, heading towards the next section of the store. "Do you want whole grain or white bread?"

"Uh, I'm not a horse, Ralph." Vanellope said, swinging off of his free arm. "I don't eat wheat."

"White it is, then," Ralph said, ruffling her head.


	20. I Try To Be Nice

Felix knocked hesitantly on Tamora's office door. Even though their last meeting had gone well, he still couldn't be around her without getting all jittery.

"Come in." She called in her usual strict voice.

He walked in eagerly, taking his hat off in respect. She sat behind her desk, looking over some sort of paperwork that was scattered across the tabletop. "What do you want?" She snapped.

Felix walked over to her, his arms starting to shake again. "I…I was just stopping at this little place for breakfast, and I…I got you something, just in case you wanted it." He placed a large muffin on her desk. "I didn't know what to get you, so I thought blueberry would be okay, since that's basically the generic kind."

Tamora said nothing and eyed it suspiciously, as if it might explode at any moment.

"Well, I'll…just be going then…I hope you have a good day," he said, smiling at her as he walked out.

"Hold it, Shorty." She barked, looking at him angrily. "Look, I'm not stupid, okay? What do you want from me? Huh? What, did you drug this muffin or something?"

Felix looked horrified at the very thought. "M'am, I would _never, _ever do something…so…so…horrible! I was just trying to be nice!" He exclaimed, a look of panic in his eyes.

"Why?" She exclaimed, her voice rising to a hysterical note. "Why do you want to be so nice to me? Why do you _care_? I didn't ask for this!"

Felix straightened up. "Well, m'am, where I come from, we're always taught to teach ladies with the highest respect. I was just being courteous to you!"

Calhoun quieted down, staring at the floor for a long period of time. "I'm not a lady." She muttered, avoiding his glance.

"Well, of course you are!" Felix exclaimed. "In fact, you're one of the finest ladies I've ever met!"

She looked up at him, a look of utter bewilderment on her face. She stuttered and stumbled over a couple random syllables before finally spitting out, "Well…you can cut it out okay?" She said, turning away from him, even though Felix could swear he saw her cheeks turn a darker shade of pink. "I'm…I'm better off alone."

Felix looked confused. He had just been trying to make her happy, but instead she was angry with him! He didn't understand it one bit. "M'am…I just," he stammered as he tried to find the right words to say. It was like he was hanging off of a slippery rope, doing whatever he could to keep holding on. "I'm sorry, m'am," he finally said. "I didn't mean to irritate you. I won't bother you anymore." He lowered his head and turned to walk out, his shoulders sagging. He'd rather let go now than have her cut him off later. He just wanted her to be happy, and if that required him to not be around, so be it.

"Wait." She suddenly said.

Felix's heart leapt as he paused, his back still turned towards her.

"Look…I'm sorry." She said in a voice so soft Felix barely heard her. "And thank you."

Felix turned to smile gratefully at her. "It's quite alright, m'am."

Tamora nodded towards him, and for a split second, Felix thought he saw the ghost of a smile cross her face, but when he blinked again, she had her regular, serious expression again. His spirits enlightened, he headed towards his own room, ready to begin another day.


	21. The Race

Vanellope held her car protectively in her hands as she walked outside. The fall breeze blew against her face and the crisp air seemed to crackle with her excitement. Her kart was bright purple, and was covered in the glitter paint and stickers she'd decorated it with. She and Ralph had spent all day Monday practicing with it in their backyard. It had taken her a little time to get used to it, but soon she had the controls down and was driving as fast as lightning.

The race was originally supposed to be yesterday, but it had rained, so Swizzle said they had to cancel it. But Vanellope had still brought it in to show everybody.

Taffyta had looked angry Tuesday morning when she saw Vanellope walk in with her car, especially when the guys had crowded around her to see it.

"Holy fudge!" Gloyd had exclaimed. "Is that an RV1000? That's the newest kind!"

Rancis looked down at his car forlornly. "Wow, I only have the RV1," he said, looking jealous.

"Vanellope has a good chance of winning with wheels like that!" Swizzle said, a look of excitement filling his face. "This is going to be the best race ever!"

"Big deal," Taffyta had said, sauntering over, Candlehead at her side. "_Anyone _can win a dumb race. And what happened to your car, Vanellope? Did the Easter Bunny throw up on it?"

Vanellope scowled at her. "You're just jealous that you don't have a car, Taffyta."

Taffyta glared back. "No I'm not-I could get a car if I wanted to, _and _I could beat all of you!"

The boys had looked at each other incredulously. "No offense, Taffyta, but you don't really seem like a racer." Gloyd had said, looking sheepish.

Taffyta snorted. "Of course I am-anyone can control a _car. _And we'll just see who's the real racer tomorrow, won't we Vanellope?"

Now it was Wednesday, and Vanellope was ready to race. She ran over to the playground, where she saw the other boys lined up and waiting. "Sorry I'm late," she panted, tucking her bangs out of her eyes.

"It's fine," Rancis said. "Gloyd is just finishing setting the track up."

"And besides, Taffyta isn't even here yet." Swizzle added. "Wait, never mind, here she comes."

They all looked over to see Taffyta walking coolly across the playground. Candlehead held her car carefully, looking at it as if it was made of gold. "Remember Candlehead," They heard Taffyta say as she came closer, "Drop that car, and you die."

"Y-yes Taffyta." Candlehead stammered.

"I'm here everybody!" Taffyta said, smiling. "_And _I have a car." Everyone crowded around her and came over to see it. Candlehead held it up and smiled like a showgirl. "It's an RV1000, just like yours Vanellope," Taffyta said, smirking at her.

Vanellope felt a prick of nervousness as she saw her previous advantage slip away. Taffyta_ did _have the same car, only it was a bright pink instead of purple. If she had the same one as Vanellope that meant it would be just as fast, which meant it was going to be harder to beat her.

"Well, let's just get this started then," Vanellope said breezily, not going to let Taffyta know how worried she was becoming.

Gloyd ran over. "Okay, we're all here then?" He said, a glint of anticipation in his eyes. A couple more kids walked over with their cars, deciding they wanted to race too. Among them were Snowanna, Minty, Jubileena, and Torvald. The rest of the students began to congregate around the track, getting ready to cheer the others on. "Here's how it's going to go." Gloyd said, pointing to the track he had formed with bright orange string that marked off each side of the road. "You start here, and then you follow the track until we get to the actual structures. You'll weave in and out of the swings, and then head over to the sand pit. You drive through there, and then drive through those cement tunnels. After you've done that you're there's a ramp you have to drive up to land on the merry-go-round. You'll drive on top of that and then once you're off of that you'll drive up the small slide, and then go down the twisty-slide. After that it's just a straight shot to the finish line. Okay, now does everyone get that?"

"Ah, sure?" Vanellope said, trying to remember everything he had said.

"Alright, let's get going then!" Gloyd said.

The 9 kids lined up at the starting line. Vanellope pressed the 'on' button and her heart jolted with excitement as her car revved up. The other kids had begun to cheer and holler, calling out the names of their favorite racers. The sound of the others' cars filled her ears, and she let out a shaky breath.

"Hope you're ready to lose." Taffyta hissed, standing beside her. "This win is _mine." _

Vanellope ignored her. She wasn't going to let Taffyta mess with her. _C'mon Vanellope, you can do this, _she thought, mentally coaching herself. _Just focus, and concentrate, and make Taffyta eat your sugar dust. _Feeling empowered, she clutched her remote control tightly, and turned towards Taffyta. "Good luck to you too, Taffyta."

Taffyta's mouth opened up like a goldfish-she had not been expecting that. "Uh, thanks, but I don't need it." She finally said, flipping her hair.

Sticky walked up with a bright green flag in hand and a whistle around her neck. "Everybody ready?" She called, a loud wave of applause answering her. "Okay! On your marks, get set-GO!" She blew the whistle and waved the flag down.

With a roar, the racers were off. They swerved past each other, each fighting to gain the lead. The kids ran along the side of the track as they followed their cars. Vanellope was in second place, with Gloyd in front and Taffyta trailing behind. Soon they all were nearing the swing set. Vanellope maneuvered around each swing, being careful not to ram into other people's cars. Snowanna quickly lost control of her car, and it swerved off the track and into the bushes. Vanellope gulped but kept going. The sandbox was quickly approaching, and Vanellope accelerated her engine, passing Gloyd. The 8 racers drove right into the sand. It was hard to drive through, and Vanellope found herself pushing as hard as she good on her gas button. Torvald's car got stuck and wouldn't move anymore. "Move it, you idiotic car!" Vanellope heard Taffyta exclaim, sand flying from the wheels of her car that were stuck.

After what seemed like an hour, Vanellope finally got her car out of the sand, everyone but Torvald, who'd had to retrieve her car and dig all the sand out of its wheels, following close behind. She drove her car through the rainbow-colored cement tunnels, running behind it and cheering.

Taffyta scowled and turned her car to hit Minty's, which caused it to be knocked off the track. "Hey!" Minty exclaimed, glaring at her.

"Sorry!" Taffyta said, smiling at her. She pushed her car forward until she was neck-in-neck with Vanellope. Their cars knocked and bumped against each other, both not wanting the other to get ahead.

"Why don't you just give up now?" Taffyta called from the other side of the road, running behind her car. "You're just an accident waiting to happen!"

Vanellope rolled her eyes. "In your dreams, Taffyta!" She hit the accelerator and flew up the ramp, landing with a loud 'clang' on the merry-go-round. Driving over it turned out to be harder than she had anticipated, for as more and more cars got on the merry-go-round, it began to spin, rotating faster and faster.

"Fudge!" Swizzle exclaimed as his car got whipped off the structure and flung upside-down onto the ground.

Vanellope tried to avoid the other cars as she planned a way to get off. Taffyta's car had suddenly managed to escape, and now she was heading over to the slides! Vanellope waited until she was facing the right direction, and pushed down on her gas as hard as she could. With a lurch, her car managed to break away from the merry-go-round and now was right behind Taffyta's!

They headed up the slide together, each determined to win. The cheers of the other children grew louder, and soon half were cheering for Taffyta, and half were cheering on Vanellope. They headed towards the twisted slide and watched as their cars slid down. Once they hit the ground again, they were still right by each other. The crowd let out a shriek as Jubileena's car took a fantastic fall off of the top of the twisty-slide (which was very tall). Fortunately, it didn't break.

"Fail!" Taffyta laughed.

Vanellope glared at her. Her heart was pounding so hard with adrenaline she thought it was going to explode out of her chest. She _had _to win. Vanellope knew that if she didn't Taffyta would hold it over her forever.

Their cars were nearing the finish line, they were getting closer and closer with every second, the cheers were getting louder and louder it was deafening, and then-

They crossed it.

Together.

"It's a tie!" Sticky called, waving her flag up and down. "Taffyta and Vanellope win!"

The kids broke into a cheer, clapping their hands together and stomping their feet. "What?!" Taffyta exclaimed, looking horrified. "There's no way-_I_ won! I beat her!"

Vanellope gritted her teeth together. While she was glad that she hadn't lost, it didn't really feel like she'd won, either. Gloyd and Rancis zoomed up quickly behind, claiming second and third.

"Congratulations!" Rancis said, giving them both high-fives.

Taffyta still looked angry. "I want a re-match." She said, folding her arms.

"Sorry Taffyta but the bell's about to ring." Gloyd said. "Maybe another time."

"NO!" Taffyta shrieked, stomping up and down. "I get what I want and I don't want to share anything with Vanellope!"

"Jeez, calm down!" Vanellope said, smirking slightly. "It's a draw; you don't have to throw a tantrum over it."

Taffyta glared at her. "I am _not _throwing a tantrum!" She snapped her fingers and Candlehead ran over obediently. She picked up Taffyta's car and handed her a pink sparkly water bottle. "This isn't over." Taffyta said, glaring at Vanellope as she walked back inside.

"Yeah?" Candlehead said, giving her the stink-eye as she quickly ran after Taffyta.

"Ah, ignore her Vanellope," Minty said, walking up next to her. "She's always mad about something, you guys did great!"

Vanellope smiled as her classmates clapped and cheered for her. Finally, she was starting to feel like she belonged.


	22. Demolition Day

**A/N: Thanks again for all the love! I seriously do this happy dance whenever people review. And FYI, for anyone who might have been confused, those were remote-controlled power cars last chapters, not legit, real ones. If you have any questions, comments, tips, or anything at all-please leave a review! Thank you! **

"Wow! This is so cool!" Vanellope squealed, pushing the construction helmet back to its proper position on her head. "So you get to come here, every day, and explode things? For money!?"

Ralph chuckled. "Well, not all the time. We don't blow stuff up every day, most days we don't actually. But when we do, it's pretty great." He watched as Vanellope flitted about, examining everything.

"If I wasn't going to be a race car driver when I grow up, I'd definitely work with you." She said, looking out the window as more workers walked by.

"I'd like that." Ralph said, smiling at her. "But, I've got a surprise for you today."

Vanellope's eyes widened as she turned to look up at him. "What? What is it? Tell me! Tell me!" She bounced up and down in front of him.

"Hmm, I don't know if I should tell you or not." Ralph teased, laughing at the look of annoyance and anxiety filled her face.

"No!" She pleaded. "Please, just tell me now!"

"Alright. Well, today is one of those awesome days when we get to explode a building." Ralph said, smiling as a look of pure excitement filled Vanellope's face. "And we have a little…problem. You see, we're kind of short a person to press the button that sets all the explosives off, and I just can't find anyone to do it. You wouldn't happen to know anyone would you?"

Vanellope's jaw dropped open so far it might as well have been touching the floor. "Are you saying what I think you're saying Ralph?" She said, her voice squeaky with excitement.

"I'm saying…Do you want to blow up a building today?" Ralph said.

Vanellope let out a shriek so loud it felt like it was going to shatter the glass outside. "Yesyesyes, a million times yes!" She exclaimed, literally jumping for joy.

Ralph took her to the director of the site, who gave Vanellope a quick run through of all the safety measures she would have to take and such. All the workers couldn't stop talking about how adorably excited she was, and even Pete had to grudgingly admit she wasn't "_that _bad."

Soon it was time. Ralph took Vanellope to a big booth with a window so that they could see the building go. It was an old hotel that was so ancient it was actually falling apart, and the contractors wanted to rebuild a whole new apartment complex there. Vanellope adjusted her helmet and strapped her goggles onto her face. Ralph noticed how much she was shaking of happiness. There were lots of controls, dials and knobs, but Ralph showed her the big, red button surrounded by a glass case that would be the one she would be using. "You ready kid?" He asked, grinning at her enthusiasm as he put on his own goggles.

"As ready as I'll ever be!" She squealed.

"Now remember, please don't try this at home," Ralph joked, flipping the glass case open. "Oh wait, I almost forgot." He dug into his pocket and unwrapped a pair of ear buds. "Trust me, you'll need these," he said, popping them each of her ears.

She nodded and gave him a thumbs up.

"We're ready when you are," Ralph said into a walkie-talkie. "Countdown starting." He winked at Vanellope and she smiled back at him.

A countdown starting from 25 began to blare over the speakers inside the booth and outside on the site. Ralph saw Vanellope cross her fingers in anticipation, her fingers waving near the button. Ralph could sense her mixture of nervousness and exhilaration; she had a determined look on her face that was more adorable than anything else. She glanced up at him as if to say, _I can't believe this is really going to happen!_

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1!"

With the biggest smile imaginable, Vanellope slammed her hand down on the button. A loud _boom_ shook the whole earth, knocking Vanellope backwards. Ralph quickly went over to pick her up, but thankfully she wasn't even hurt at all. He propped her up on his shoulder to watch the building fall. There was a huge cloud of smoke, and debris flying everywhere. "Whoa!" She exclaimed her eyes wide. The building began to collapse on itself until it was completely knocked down, and all that was left was a large pile of wood and stone.

Ralph smiled over at her. "So whaddya think? Pretty cool, huh?"

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Vanellope said, kicking her legs in the air. "Did you see me Ralph, did ya? I mean, I just blew up a building! A whole, big, entire building and _I _exploded it!" She sounded the happiest that she'd ever been in her whole life.

Since she was sitting on his shoulder, she somewhat awkwardly turned to hug his head. "You're the best, Ralph." She mumbled into his neck. "Thanks for giving me the greatest, most spectacular-est, day ever."

"You're welcome, kid." Ralph said, rubbing her head affectionately. "You're welcome."


	23. Rice Krispies

Calhoun sat in her chair looking bored. This staff meeting had been going on for half an hour now, and absolutely nothing interesting had happened. Not to mention that it was one of those late-September, early-October scorchers, where it felt the heat was going to suffocate you. Yeah, the windows were open, and the ceiling fans were whirling around obediently, but it still had to be 90 degrees in the crowded meeting room. She absentmindedly poked at her marshmallow-rice square, which she had taken before remembering that she hated Rice Krispies.

The principal, Gene, was droning on and on about some event that apparently had to be important. It sounded like it had something to do with planning a new cafeteria menu-something that didn't affect her. The only things she ever ate were snacks and TV dinners. She didn't feel like or have the time for cooking, and didn't feel like socializing with the teachers at lunch. So usually when they were all in the cafeteria or the lounge or whatever, Calhoun would spend it alone in her office, eating with her silence. It wasn't that bad. She enjoyed the quiet time to herself. Mostly.

"Well, I think that there should be more healthier options for the children."

Calhoun's ears perked up as she recognized Felix's voice. Immediately she felt a flood of shame for even caring in the first place. So what if he was talking right now, it's not like he was talking to her, was he? So why was she listening to him?

"I mean, yes having French fries and chicken nuggets are nice and all, but what we added some healthy side options, like fruit salad, sugar-free Jell-O, or fat-free cookies?" Felix continued. "We have to make sure they're being taught good, nutritional choices."

"Very good point, Felix," Gene beamed as the other instructors applauded him. "I think that's an excellent idea."

Felix sat down, looking pleased. Calhoun found her eyes drifting over to him across the table as Gene went off on another long tangent. They hadn't really talked much since that awkward muffin incident. He'd come down to her office though to fix things here and there, like her microwave and that one time her drawer got stuck closed. Every time he'd come over, he'd always be so…_nice _to her. She was still getting used to it. He'd tell her stories about his family and growing up. He'd recommend all the good restaurants to go to if she was ever hungry, and which grocery stores had the best deals.

She hadn't had the heart to tell him that she didn't grocery shop unless for it was for bread, milk, fruit, or lunchmeat. Instead she'd just sat there and listened to him talk. She never really said anything back, but he didn't really notice. She preferred it to how she first perceived him, which was being shy and unconfident.

She wondered if he was seeing anyone.

_Oh god, stop, _Calhoun yelled internally at herself. _Just stop. Don't let yourself care. _

But she still couldn't get that wavering thought out of her head. She assumed he must have a girlfriend; he seemed like the kind of guy who had girls trailing after him, with or without his knowledge. She wouldn't be surprised if he was married. For some reason, thinking about it all bugged her, and she immediately went back to attacking the Rice Krispie.

She glanced back over at Felix and saw that he was already looking at her. Flushing red, she turned away quickly, trying to pass it off as a casual mistake. However, when she looked back 30 seconds later, he glanced at her. She raised an eyebrow. _Yeah, blame it on him, _she thought. But Felix just blushed and gave her a small smile. _Sorry this is so boring, _he seemed to say.

Even as even muscle in her body tried to fight it, Calhoun found herself smiling back as she shrugged it off. _It's okay. _

Felix smiled bigger now, his eyes sparkling.

Calhoun hated herself, and then she didn't. She hated Felix for making her head hurt, and yet, she still found herself wanting to be around him. She hated how she felt happy when he walked in; she hated him for making her feel things she hadn't felt in years.

She hated him.

She pressed down on the table again to feel-nothing. Looking down, she realized she had crushed the treat into a fine powder.

She heard a soft cough and looked up to see Felix looking worriedly over at her. _Is everything okay? _His eyes asked.

She nodded curtly, trying to compose herself. Why did he have to care? If he just didn't, everything would be so much easier. If he just stopped caring, like she had, there would be nothing to think about, nothing to consider.

But…

She loved how he did. She loved it when he would bring her coffee and the paper in the morning. She loved it when he went out of his way for her. How he'd ask her about her day if they bumped into each other in the parking lot. How he always had a smile for her. How his eyes would sparkle, so brilliant and blue, when he saw her.

She didn't hate him.

She did.

She felt her heart rate speed up and she gripped her hair in frustration. If there anything Tamora Calhoun never felt, it was fear. Or love. But what could she do? Because for the first time in her life, she was starting to feel both.


	24. Toughen Up

Capture the flag was very serious business. With all the strategizing, escaping, and sneaking-it might as well have been World War III for the students of R. Moore Elementary. Vanellope learned this very quickly. The first time they'd played it in gym class; she had been the last person on her team to have not wound up in jail. As one would expect, upon her attempt to get to the prison and free her team members, she was surrounded and captured herself. This caused her to receive many angry shouts and looks from her team, even though she tried to explain to them that the chances of her succeeding had been slim to none. Thankfully, once PE ended and it was time for lunch, all was forgiven. But in the moment, the game was their lives.

Today was the day for another match. The crisp October air blew across the playground as the two teams planned on where they should hide their flag. Vanellope was on a team with Crumbelina, Adorabeezle, Torvald, Sticky, Snowanna, Swizzle, Candlehead, and Jubileena. "So, where should we hide it this time?" Swizzle said, holding the green bandana like a precious jewel.

"Not tied to a swing, like last time," Vanellope said, rolling her eyes. "That was too obvious!"

"What? I thought it would be a good idea!" Candlehead exclaimed. "Who knew they would be able to just climb up the pole?"

"What if we buried it under some wood chips?" Crumbelina suggested.

"Or in the sand pit?" Snowanna added.

Swizzle frowned. "Those have all been done before! We need to do something different that they won't think of!"

They all thought, but their minds were blank.

"2 minutes left!" Coach Calhoun called.

Vanellope let out a sigh of exasperation. Where was someplace no one would ever look, somewhere obvious but not too obvious, easy to keep an eye on and protect without the other team noticing…

"I got it!" She exclaimed. "I know the perfect place!"

Her other team members crowded around her as she whispered the spot.

"Yes!" Jubileena squealed.

"That's perfect!" Swizzle said.

They quickly hid the flag and walked over to no-man's land. The other team was already there. Jubileena was going to guard the jail for their side, and Nougetsia watched the other's.

"I bet you'll never find our flag," Gloyd said gloatingly.

"I bet you'll never find _ours," _Swizzle retorted.

"Alright kids, save it for the game." Coach Calhoun said, smirking slightly. "You all know the rules so let's get started. Ready, set-"

She blew her whistle and the kids took off, some retreating back to their own sides and others immediately going to enemy territory. Vanellope instead waited for the crowd to die down and remained in the neutral zone. To her surprise (and annoyance), Taffyta walked up beside her.

"Well, well, well, look who it is-_Vanellope." _Taffyta said, saying her name the same way you would say "toe fungus."

"Leave me alone Taffyta." Vanellope said. "Don't you have to go look for our flag? Not that you'll ever find it."

Taffyta let out a laugh sharp as glass. "Please, do you expect me to be intimidated by you? You're just so stupid."

Vanellope tried to block out the sharp sting her words brought.

_ You're worthless, so stupid; no one would ever like you. Why do you think your parents ditched you in the first place? Even _they _didn't want you. _

Vanellope bit her lip and shook her head, trying to clear the nagging memories that hung in the back of her head like a curse. "Shut up Taffyta." She muttered, glaring at the ground.

"Oh, what? Are you going to cry now?" Taffyta said mockingly, her eyes filling with a sick sort of pleasure. "Are you a little crybaby?"

"Just leave me alone!" Vanellope said, shoving her away.

Taffyta glared at her and pushed her back, a little too hard. With a loud thud, Vanellope fell against the ground, scraping her bare knee. "Ow!" She exclaimed. To top it all off, the flag, which her team had cleverly hidden in Vanellope's jacket's pocket, fell out and onto the ground. Taffyta picked it up and waved it with pride.

"I found the flag, everybody!" She exclaimed.

Calhoun blew her whistle and ran over to them. "The yellow team wins!" She called out, causing a loud mix of cheers and groans to erupt. Suddenly, she noticed Vanellope kneeling on the ground. The skin on her knee was scratched up badly, and small droplets of blood had begun to appear, running down leg and onto the asphalt.

"Good god," Vanellope heard Calhoun mutter. "What happened to you, Reilly?"

Vanellope shook her head wordlessly, trying to not cry as the pain increased. Other kids had gathered around now and were looking worried. Even Taffyta's face seemed to show a hint of guilt, but she looked away quickly when she saw Vanellope eyeing her.

Calhoun blew her whistle again. "Okay, you kids stay here, I'll be right back." She picked up Vanellope and carried her back inside the gym and into her office. Vanellope heard a large flutter of whispers break out among the kids as they walked away, all wondering what had happened. Taffyta remained silent. "Sit here." Calhoun told her once they were in the gym office, pointing to a chair. Vanellope did so.

Coach dug around in her drawers for medical equipment as Vanellope clutched her knee. "What happened to you, kid?" She asked, getting out a disinfectant wipe and a couple band-aids.

Hearing her call her "kid" made Vanellope long for Ralph. She winced as the sharp sting of the wipe was rubbed against her knee. "I…I…tripped." She said. She didn't know why she didn't tell Coach Calhoun the truth. Then Taffyta would get in trouble, and maybe even leave her alone.

But what if when she did, Taffyta just got angrier, and everyone called her a tattletale? That would just be making everything worse.

"Are you sure?" Coach said, eyeing her.

"Y-yes."

But she still didn't look like she believed Vanellope. Instead of pressing her further though, she spoke to her. "Look kid, in life you're going to meet two kinds of people, the kind you don't get along with, and the kind you do. " She said, pressing a band-aid onto her knee. "And dealing with the ones you don't get along with isn't easy, trust me. The world's full of a bunch mother-"

Vanellope raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, really bad people," Calhoun said, quickly correcting herself. "But the point is, you can't let them mess with you. You have to stand up to them. The moment they find a weakness they'll attack it, until you're completely vulnerable to them. You need to toughen up."

"I try, but she just won't listen!" Vanellope burst out without thinking. "I mean-I…" She desperately tried to think of an excuse, but none came to mind. Instead she sighed and looked down into her lap. "I don't know what to do." She whispered.

Coach was silent for a moment, and Vanellope could almost hear her brain working, trying to think of something to say to her. "You have to tell them that they don't bother you-even if they do." She said slowly. "You can't show them any emotion other than confidence. If they see that they can't get a reaction out of you, they'll leave you alone. They'll move on to someone else."

"You really think so?" Vanellope said, looking hopeful.

"Yes." Coach said, looking at her kindly.

Vanellope stood up, feeling enlightened. "Thanks for all the help coach!" She said, smiling widely at her.

Coach Calhoun smiled a small smile at her and stood up straight as well. "Anytime, kid. Now get back out there solider!"

"Yes m'am!" Vanellope giggled, saluting her. She ran outside to be greeted by a group of her classmates.

"What happened?" Someone asked.

"Yeah, are you okay?"

"I can't believe we lost!"

Candlehead walked up to the front of the group. "Taffyta-I mean me! _I_ want to know if you're okay, and what you told Coach Calhoun," she said, flushing red.

Vanellope eyed her and then glanced over at Taffyta. She was sitting alone a couple feet away with her back turned to them all, but Vanellope could tell that she was listening.

"I'm fine." Vanellope said, turning back to Candlehead. "And I didn't tell Coach anything."

"Great! We're glad you're okay!" Citrusella said, offering her a sweet smile. "And it's time to go back in anyways." Her and a couple other girls took her hand and lead her back inside. As Vanellope was being ushered back inside, she couldn't help but look back at Taffyta. Candlehead was talking to her, but Vanellope still couldn't see her face. She found herself longing to be inside Taffyta's head right now. Did she even really care? Was she even sorry?

She guessed that there was no way she'd ever know.


	25. Baby Daddy

Taffyta had made a point of avoiding Vanellope for the next week. She didn't talk to her, or even look at her. Vanellope honestly didn't care. She was just glad to have the Wicked Witch off her back. But the next week, things were back to normal. Well, as normal as it got.

"Oh my gob, what is she doing to her hair?" Vanellope heard Taffyta whisper loudly to Candlehead one Monday morning when she walked up.

Vanellope glanced up. She'd actually liked what she'd done with it. She'd put it up in her favorite hairstyle-a high ponytail-and decorated it with all these barrettes Ralph had gotten her. They all looked like candy, and as Ralph had joked, "Looked good enough to eat."

"It just looks so messy!" Taffyta continued.

"So messy!" Candlehead nodded.

Vanellope stood up straight, remembering what Coach Calhoun had told her. "What did I ever do to you Taffyta?" Vanellope said, staring her straight in the eye. "Just because I beat you at everything doesn't mean you have to hate me."

Taffyta gasped.

"Uh, you don't beat her at everything?" Candlehead said, clutching Taffyta's arm as Taffyta looked like she was getting ready to explode. "Taffyta's like, so much better than you? You're not cool, like her."

"Yeah!" Taffyta hissed.

Vanellope rolled her eyes. "I don't care if you guys make fun of me anymore," she said. "I have better things to do with my time."

Taffyta glared at her. "You know what Vanellope? I _was _going to say sorry for pushing you down the other day, since I'm like, so nice. But I changed my mind. I'm _not _sorry anymore. You're so annoying and I hate you."

Vanellope didn't know how to respond. She wasn't annoying, was she? Why should she care what Taffyta thought anyways? Taffyta was the "lame" one, not her. She didn't need her approval. Instead, Vanellope acted like she didn't hear her and sat down with her back to Taffyta, turning her attention to Adorabeezle, who had just walked in, looking nervous to have to sit by them all.

Miss Mary walked in and clapped her hands together excitedly. "Good morning boys and girls! I have exciting news for you today, so let's get settled down!"

The kids ran to their seats immediately, each anxious for the news. "What is it?" Gloyd called from his seat.

"Well, now that it's October, the annual fall festival is in town, and we are going get to attend it as a class field trip!"

The students broke out into excited conversations and shouts.

"Oh yeah!" Jubileena said, doing a fist pump.

"This is going to be so cool!" Swizzle said, high-fiving Rancis.

Snowanna got up and danced.

"What's the fall festival?" Vanellope asked Adorabeezle, looking confused.

"It's so much fun!" Adorabeezle gushed, her eyes glittering with excitement. "Every October, the fair comes to town, and they have all kinds of cool stuff! There's jack-o-lantern carving, apple bobbing contests, a Ferris wheel, a carousel, hay wagon rides, games, prizes, and lots of candy!" She sighed happily. "And there's even a corn maze, too!"

Vanellope's eyes widened. "Oooh! That sounds like fun! And we are going to get to go there?"

Adorabeezle nodded and smiled. "It's the best! My parents usually take me, but we've never gone as a class!"

Vanellope nearly jumped out of her seat. This was going to be the best field trip she'd ever had! Well, technically the _only _field trip she'd ever had, but all the same she couldn't wait.

"Okay everyone, I know you're excited, but I need you to all to listen-this is very important." Miss Mary said, waving them all down. "We'll visit the festival Wednesday, but before you go you'll need to have your parents sign this permission slip." She walked around the room and placed a small piece of paper on each desk. "If you don't get it signed, you won't be allowed to go," She said warningly. "On Wednesday, we'll have Reading and Science, like normally, but instead of Music, you'll visit Professor Felix for Math instead. Then we'll leave when you would normally have your break. Just make sure you get your form signed! And if you want to bring extra money to buy some treats there, that would be a good idea too!"

Vanellope heard Taffyta groan. "Ugh, I thought we would get to skip Math!" She said to Candlehead.

"Ugh, I know! I wanted to skip Music, this sucks!" She replied.

"What?" Taffyta said, looking puzzled.

Vanellope looked down at her bright yellow slip. It had a description of what the trip was going to be like, what they should bring, and had a space for their parent/guardian to sign.

"I don't know why they even add the guardian thingy." Taffyta was saying, looking at her slip as well. "I think we all obviously have parents!"

"Yeah?"Candlehead said. "I mean, I don't even know what a guardian is?"

Vanellope bit her lip and said nothing.

"And don't forget, you all need a pick out two other people to spend the day with at the fair." Miss Mary said, going back to the front of the room. "So we should have 5 groups in all. I'll give you 3 minutes now to quick find your partners."

"That's perfect!" Taffyta squealed to Candlehead. "Then I can be in a group with you and Rancis!" She sighed dreamily and waved Rancis over.

"Or with Swizzle?" Candlehead said, looking hopefully at her.

"Um, no." Taffyta said, looking annoyed.

Vanellope looked around the room. Who should she pair up with? She turned to Adorabeezle, but she was already waving to Nougetsia and Jubileena. Snowanna was running over to Crumbelina and Torvald, and Minty, Sticky, and Citrusella were all looking at each other. That left…

"Hey chumps!" Vanellope said, walking up to Swizzle and Gloyd. She tugged at her arm nervously and gave them a hopeful look. "Need a partner?"

"Yeah!" Gloyd said. "You're cool, and we're the only 3 left in the class anyways."

"We _were _going to be with Rancis but he went with _Taffyta." _Swizzle muttered, looking annoyed.

"But at least _we're _not with Taffyta," Gloyd reminded him.

"Thank gob." Swizzle said, which caused all three to laugh.

Later than afternoon, Vanellope raced off the bus and into her house. She had to get Ralph to sign this form immediately, before she forgot or lost it. "Ralph! I need you!" She exclaimed, throwing open the front door.

But instead of finding Ralph sitting on the couch watching Dr. Phil like she had that one time last week (which he'd hastily turned off, insisting that he'd just been browsing through the channels), the house was empty.

"Grr! Stupid demolition work!" Vanellope muttered. She threw her backpack on the ground. Walking over to the kitchen, she grabbed a bag of chocolate chips and retreated to the couch. Flipping on the TV, she found herself watching a show where everyone was yelling at each other. There were so many words bleeped out and the audience was roaring so loudly that she couldn't even tell what was going on. "You ain't my baby daddy!" This woman yelled, jumping up and down.

Vanellope snickered. "Baby daddy?" She said, the words tickling her mouth. She ate a handful of chocolate and turned back to watch.

"Alright, settle down everyone," the host said. "The test results are in!"

Finally the audience was quiet, which was good, since Vanellope's head was starting to hurt from all the noise.

"Deonte, you are NOT the father!" The host said, after about 30 seconds of silence. The audience broke out into more yelling and more stuff was bleeped out.

"Is this supposed to be funny?" Vanellope said incredulously. "What kind of dumb story is this, anyways?"

15 minutes passed ( along with more "baby daddies," yelling, and fighting) and soon Ralph walked in. "Hey-oh!" He called. "I got pizza!"

"Ralph!" Vanellope exclaimed, relieved to get away from the show. She ran up to greet him. "RalphIneedyoutosignthispermissionslipsoIcangototh efaironWednesday!"

"Wait, slow down," Ralph said, putting the box of pizza on the counter. "Did you say something about a trip? And _what _are you watching!" He exclaimed, gesturing to the TV.

"I told you! I told you! Shut up!" Another lady was shouting, jumping around in front of the camera. She held up her hand and a big blurry spot appeared on it.

"What the heck is that thing on her hand?" Vanellope exclaimed, laughing. "Did she get her fingers cut off or something?"

"This stuff is garbage!" Ralph said, not answering her question. "You shouldn't be looking at this."

Vanellope shrugged. "It was an accident! I swear! Well, sort of. And it was so stupid anyways, the exact same stuff happened over and over again."

Ralph walked over and turned it off. "Now, say what you were saying before, and this time _slowly." _

Vanellope took a breath. "Our class is going to the fall festival on Wednesday, which is like this fair thing, and Miss Mary said you have to sign this slip so I can go. So can you sign it please? Can ya?"

"Oh yeah!" Ralph said, nodding. "I know that festival. I've never gone to it though."

"Why not?"

He shrugged. "Never felt like it, I guess. You'll probably like it though. Felix is always talking about how great it is." He waved her over. "Show me the paper."

Vanellope smiled and ran over to her backpack. She got it out and brought it to him. "Sign here _guardian." _She said, pointing and nudging him playfully.

Ralph did.

"Boy, you're handwriting is messy!" Vanellope laughed, looking at her slip with pride.

"It's not my fault we can't all write with perfect little cursive like _some _people." Ralph smiled back, giving her a look. "Now let's eat that pizza before it gets cold."

"I bet I can eat more than you!" Vanellope said.

"I don't doubt that, but it's on." Ralph said, smiling at her.


	26. The Fall Festival

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, as always! Also thanks in advance to Gaby for your lovely chaperone idea. I added it in, but sadly, it's not a big part of the chapter. But don't fear! My Hero's Cuties on the way! Also, I didn't mean to hate on Maury last chapter. I watch it too sometimes; it's just not exactly 'kid friendly,' so that's why Ralph wouldn't like it. Oh parents (Or guardians)! **

** Cute Girl: **Aw, I'm glad you like it so much! And don't worry, this story will keep fighting 'till the very end!

Why was it that when you _wanted _something to happen, it took forever, but when you_ didn't _want it, it came in 2 seconds flat? That's how Vanellope was feeling right now. Yesterday they had a dentist come to their school and look at all their teeth, and it'd felt like it'd taken only 10 seconds to get to her on list. The dentist had said she was lucky she didn't have any cavities, since she ate way too much sugar than "was healthy for her."

But now as she sat in Science, it felt like time was taking a million years to go by. Miss Mary was drawing a diagram of how photosynthesis worked on the board. And talking.

So. Much. Talking.

She fidgeted in her seat. She so very badly wanted to just run out of her seat and onto the bus. Why should they have to learn about photo-whats-it anyways? It's not like she would ever use it in real life!

Finally Math came, and then-it was time to go! The kids all got out their coats and met out in the school lobby.

"Cool shirt, Vanellope!" Gloyd said as they all got into their buddy groups. "It's Halloween colors and everything!"

"Thanks!" Vanellope said, feeling proud. In honor of fall, she'd worn her Q-Bert T-shirt, a ruffled orange skirt, and mismatched black and orange tights. Then she had tied her hair up in a ponytail with a bright orange bow as well.

"Halloween is Gloyd's favorite time of year," Swizzle said, throwing his friend a smile.

"It's the best!" Gloyd exclaimed, his eyes lighting up at just the thought. "I mean, you get to dress up in awesome costumes, and get as much candy as you want-for _free! _What could get better than that?"

"Nothing really," Vanellope said laughing.

"Did you bring any money?" Swizzle asked both of them.

"Only 10 dollars." Vanellope said. "Ralph said that should be enough to buy lunch and play some games."

"Who's Ralph?" Gloyd asked.

"He's kinda like my dad." Vanellope explained.

"Kinda?" Swizzle said, furrowing his brow.

"Uh, yeah…it's a long story." Vanellope said, trailing off.

"Well, my mom and dad gave me $20!" Gloyd said, looking happy.

"Lucky!" Swizzle and Vanellope said together.

They turned to look as Coach Calhoun walked in, looking slightly annoyed. "What's she doing here?" Vanellope asked.

"She's probably coming to watch us on the trip," Swizzle shrugged. "That's what Coach Zangief would always do."

"She looks kind of scary." Gloyd said apprehensively.

"No, she's really nice!" Vanellope assured him. "I talked to her one time."

"Really?" Gloyd and Swizzle said, looking surprised.

She nodded. "Yup."

Miss Mary rushed in, with Professor Felix trailing behind. "Alright children, the buses are here, so let's go!"

The kids let out an excited scream as they all ran out the door. Vanellope, Gloyd and Swizzle all squeezed into a seat, with Vanellope sitting on the aisle side. Taffyta looked thrilled to have a spot next to Rancis. Candlehead just looked uncomfortable.

Felix sat in the bus's driver seat, Coach Calhoun sat in the front seat, and Miss Mary sat in the back. "Everyone ready?" Felix called, turning to smile at them all.

The students all cheered. Even Taffyta couldn't help but look excited.

Vanellope saw Felix turn to whisper something to Coach Calhoun as he started the bus engine. She smiled a small smile at him and nodded. Vanellope wondered what it was about. She and Ralph hadn't really hung out with Felix since that time at the beach last month. Felix started the bus and soon they were off and driving down the road.

They rode the bus to the country part of town, someplace Vanellope had never been too. She and Ralph always stayed in the downtown area; the most remote they'd ever gotten was when they went to the beach. There were lots of fields, barns, and animals. The trip went by quickly as Vanellope enjoyed talking to Gloyd and Swizzle about cars and racing.

"Do you know what you're going to be for Halloween?" Gloyd asked them.

"I was deciding between a zombie doctor and a vampire." Swizzle answered.

"Zombie doctor-that's way cooler." Gloyd said, nodding approvingly. "What about you, Vanellope?" The boys both turned to look at her.

"Ah, I don't know." Vanellope said. "I've never really dressed up for Halloween before."

"WHAT?!" They exclaimed, looking as if she just told them she had cancer.

Vanellope's cheeks flushed red. "Yeah."

"Well then you _have _to think of an awesome costume, this being your first time and all." Gloyd said. "You could be a ghost, or a witch, or maybe even Frankenstein."

"Or Slender Man!" Swizzle chimed in. "That's what my brother's doing-he's in high school."

"What's a slender man?" Vanellope asked, looking perplexed.

"What _isn't_ Slender Man?" Swizzle replied ominously.

"_Anyways," _Gloyd said, shoving his friend playfully. "You still have a couple weeks to come up with something-so don't feel rushed."

Vanellope slouched in her seat. Maybe Ralph would have some ideas. He'd lived through like, 1 bazillion Halloweens already-he must know some good costumes.

Soon, they got to the fairgrounds. All the kids went to press their faces up against the window.

"Wow!"

"Cool!"

Vanellope's heart sped up as she was pushed along down the aisle and outside. "Alright class, remember you must _always _stick with your buddies." Miss Mary reminded them. "Me, Professor Felix, and Ms. Calhoun will be walking around the grounds, so if you need any help, look for us. We'll all meet for lunch at the picnic benches at 12:30, did everyone hear that?"

They all nodded, just wanting to get to the fair already.

"Alright, go off, have fun!" Miss Mary said, waving them away.

"C'mon, let's go!" Gloyd said, running ahead.

"What are we going to do first?" Vanellope asked, jogging along beside him.

"Let's go to the bumper cars!" Swizzle said.

The group spent the rest of the day exploring the whole fairgrounds. They battled in bumper cars, screamed on a roller coaster, gave the wacka-moles a concussion, rode the carousel, threw baseballs at milk jugs, and went in the corn maze. They'd gotten lost for a while, but Gloyd smartly came up with the idea of following the footprints in the dirt, and after finding a path with a bunch of them on it, they'd managed to escape. Now they were going to do an apple bobbing contest.

"Who'd like to go first?" The attendant said, smiling widely at them.

"Uh, what the Hershey's is this?' Taffyta said, strolling up with Rancis and Candlehead.

"Hey Rancis!" Swizzle said. "Nice face paint!"

"Thanks!" Rancis said. A small bat was painted on his cheek. Candlehead had a flower, but Taffyta had nothing.

"She said it would mess up her makeup?" Candlehead whispered to Vanellope when she saw her eyeing them.

"Gob, just can it Candlehead." Taffyta said, rolling her eyes.

Candlehead looked down, looking shamed.

"It's a bobbing for apples contest." Gloyd said, looking perturbed that Taffyta had joined them.

"What do you have to do?" Taffyta asked.

"You dunk your head into the bucket and pull out, one at a time, as many apples as you can with your teeth!" The lady said, smiling so big it looked painful.

"Eh meh gawd, ew!" Taffyta exclaimed, taking a step back. "No way-I'm not doing that! That's crazy!"

"I'll do it." Vanellope said, stepping forward. "It's just water."

Taffyta glared at her.

"Woot!" Gloyd, Rancis and Swizzle cheered and clapped. "Go Vanellope!"

This didn't make Taffyta feel any better, Vanellope could tell. But like Minty had said, she was always mad about something anyway. Vanellope walked over to the bucket and tightened her ponytail. "Alright." She said confidently. "I'm ready!"

"Okay, you have one minute!" The attendant said, getting out a stopwatch. "Ready, set…go!"

Vanellope dove her head into the large bucket. Immediately the sound of the boy's applause was sedated, and all that could be heard was the swishing of her hair in the water and the loud silence that being underwater brought. The water was very cold, but she could tell it was full of apples, as her forehead bumped up against several right off the bat. She opened her mouth wide, swallowing some water in the process, and chomped down on the first apple she came in contact with. With a loud splash, she raised her head and spat it out into the bucket, earning herself another round of cheers.

She repeated this process, over and over again, until she heard a loud buzzer go off. "Time's up!" The lady said. "Let's see how many you got."

Vanellope stood up and wrung out her hair as the lady counted all the apples up. Her shirt was soaked wet, and her bangs were sticking to her forehead, but she didn't care.

"Wow! Great job! You got 15 apples!" The lady said, smiling again.

"Good work Vanellope!" Gloyd said, fist bumping her.

"Yeah!" Swizzle and Rancis said, clapping and smiling at her.

Taffyta rolled her eyes. "Whatever, it was only 15." She muttered. "I'm pretty sure the world record is 34."

"Yeah!" Candlehead said, quickly rushing to stand by her. "My dog could get more than that, and he's a _dog." _

"Here's your prize, little girl!" The lady said, handing Vanellope a large stuffed Mickey Mouse.

"Thanks!" Vanellope exclaimed, choosing to disregard the fact that she had called her "little girl."

"That was awesome Vanellope!" Rancis said.

Gloyd and Swizzle nodded in agreement. The six had walked off for a moment, all but Taffyta and Candlehead admiring Mickey, when Swizzle asked, "Hey, do you guys all want to check out the haunted house? I heard it's supposed to be really scary!"

"S-s-scary?" Candlehead stuttered, looking fearful.

"Let's do it!" Gloyd said. "You guys coming?"

"Well duh, we're not babies!" Taffyta said, nudging Candlehead.

"Then let's go." Swizzle said. "I know right where it is!"

The six all walked across and around the whole fair until they reached the house. It was an actual farm house that had been abandoned and renovated just for this, or at least that's what Swizzle explained to them all.

The front porch squeaked and creaked as they all stepped up. The paint was peeling off of everything, and cobwebs and dust were everywhere._ Enter…if you dare, _the sinister sign that hung on the door read. Its letters were dripping with red paint, and they almost looked like they'd been painted in blood.

"Uh, actually, what if we _don't_ dare?" Candlehead said, standing in the back of the group. "Why don't we just go ride the carousel instead?"

"The carousel is for babies." Gloyd said, opening the front door and walking in. They all followed behind, Candlehead still looking hesitant.

Inside the house was just as bad as the outside. Creepy noises were playing off in the distance, and there were black drapes hanging over all the windows, so it was pitch black inside. A bubbling noise of a cauldron was in the other room, and smoke hung thick over the air. A flash of "lightning" revealed there to be a large coffin sitting at the end of the hall, and Vanellope swore she could hear breathing coming from it.

Vanellope shifted nervously on the spot. Even she was starting to get a little freaked.

"Who is holding my hand?" Swizzle suddenly exclaimed out of the blackness.

"Not me!" Candlehead said, followed by the sound of feet shuffling away.

They picked up some flashlights that were marked by glowing tape on the ground and turned them on. Portraits of creepy looking people hung on the walls, and there were even more cobwebs here than there were outside.

"Ew, don't they ever get a maid in here?" Taffyta said, sticking out her tongue as she pushed a cobweb out of her face.

"C'mon, let's go upstairs." Swizzle said. "There's more arrows pointing up there."

They all walked up the stairs timidly, each shaking with fright as more creepy voices whispered haunting things into their ears. They heard a monstrous laugh followed by a loud scream play over the speakers. Vanellope shuddered, and tried to remind herself that none of this was actually real. It was hard.

They got to the top of the stairs, and entered the first room they saw. It was pitch black and they shown their flashlights all around.

"S-see?" Taffyta said, trying to sound confident as she shook on the spot. "There's n-nothing up here! S-so let's just leave!" Her voice shook and as she headed towards the door.

The minute she touched the doorknob though, red lights flashed from the ceiling and the loud noise of thunder filled the room. More terrified screamed filled the air as spiders flew down from the ceiling and landed on their heads. A creepy laugh played over the loudspeakers and a skeleton sat up in the bed, its eyes rolling and its mouth opening and closing as it laughed hysterically. "Get out!" A loud shriek exclaimed. "Get out or be _doomed_!"

The kids all let out a petrified scream and pushed past each other as they scrambled down the stairs and out the door. Their flashlights clambered to the porch and they all rolled out onto the grass, heaving and trying to catch their breath.

"I'mgoingtodie, I'mgoingtodie, I'mgoingtodie." Candlehead said, her eyes bulging out of her head as she clutched her neck.

Rancis just moaned into his knees, rocking back and forth.

Taffyta flipped over. "W-what was that?!" She screeched.

The other five just shook their heads wordlessly, all pretty traumatized by the event. They all sat there silent, their chests heaving and hearts pounding ferociously.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Vanellope finally squealed, jumping up.

"Are you crazy?" Taffyta said, looking at her as if she had a second head. Even Gloyd, Swizzle and Rancis looked at her with shocked looks on their faces.

"C'mon, you have to admit, even though we got scared, that was so fun!" Vanellope exclaimed.

"I-I guess," Gloyd said, starting to smile. "That _was_ a really good scare."

"Man, I haven't been that scared since I got trapped in the bathroom with Slender Man." Swizzle said, brushing all the grass and dust off of himself.

"I suppose it wasn't _so _bad." Rancis said, standing up.

"I don't know what you guys are talking about." Taffyta huffed, picking a piece of cobweb off. "That was awful!"

Candlehead sounded like she was wailing from fright.

"Well, we better go-it's 12:35." Rancis said, checking his watch.

"Good, 'cause I'm hungry." Vanellope said.

With an excited chatter, they all walked off, leaving the house, and the skeleton, far behind.


	27. Quiche and Clog Dancing

**A/N: I love you guys. Like really. I'm really sad to say that, *gasp* The story's halfway done! Already! What?! I know! 26 chapters up, 26 more to go! No! Ugh! But anyways, I guess I'm not completely done. Writing this has given me ideas for more one-shots based off this universe, and watching Wreck-It Ralph has given me more ideas for fanfics set in the movie-verse. Also, your ideas have been ah-mazing as well. And I have some ideas for fanfics that I can write with Turbo/King Candy in them, so you will be satisfied. **

**MarcelineXMarshallLee582: **First of all, you have a really long name! Haha! But for reals, thank you so much for your review! It made me so happy! You're so nice! * cyber hug *

**Cute Girl: **You're so nice too! Ah! * cyber hug * for you too.

**Enough chitchat, I'll shut my chew hole now. **

* * *

"What's this?" Tamora said, eyeing the bright purple envelope distrustfully.

"It's an invitation m'am," Felix said, blushing bashfully.

"To what?"

"Well," Felix began, rocking slightly on his heels, "Every once in a while, the staff here likes to get together and have a sort of brunch on Saturday mornings," he explained. "And since you work here now, you're more than welcome to join us!"

Tamora opened it opened it up and scanned her eyes over the page.

Felix stood there awkwardly, twisting his hat so much that it should have started ripping.

"No." She said, putting it down. That was it.

"No!?" Felix exclaimed. Never before had one little word shot him right to the heart, and with such force. "B-but why?" He stammered.

"Because!" She exclaimed, waving her hands in the air as if trying to catch the words she couldn't say. "I'm not a party person." She finally mumbled, not looking at him.

"Oh." Felix said, not knowing what to say. "I'm sorry…I…just." He sighed. "I just really hoped you could come. But I don't want to make you do anything you wouldn't want to." He put his hat sloppily back on. It tilted slightly off his head, a bit precariously, but it mostly looked just cute. "I'll be going now." He walked towards the door.

"Will you be there?" She asked, still not looking at him.

"What?" Felix said. He turned to smile hopefully at her.

"You heard me fix-it." Tamora said, using the nickname she'd given him after his many endeavors to repair her things. "Are you going or not?"

Even though Felix knew she was trying to be serious, even her messy, blonde bangs couldn't hide the bright blush that spread across her cheeks. She peeked up at him from where she was previously highly preoccupied with the contents on her desk and looked him right in the eye.

"Uh, sure!" Felix said, feeling overjoyed. She cared about him! She actually wanted him there! "If you would like that m'am, I'll be there."

She sighed. "Alright. I'll go."

Felix smiled. "You won't regret it m'am!" He said gleefully. Tipping his hat to her, he rushed out the door, not missing the smile that crossed her face.

Saturday morning came more quickly than Felix expected. He went over to Gene's house, dressed in his best. He'd worn a light blue shirt with his favorite navy vest. After much debate, he'd decided to abandon putting on his hat and instead just spent an unhealthy amount of time fixing his hair in the mirror. He'd wanted it to be just right for Tamora.

Felix rang the doorbell and Gene immediately answered the door. "Ah, Felix-what a delight! Please, come in."

"Thank you." Felix said. "I brought a quiche."

"Oh, just put it on the counter over there." Gene said, smiling at him like Felix was God's gift to earth.

Felix looked around. Tamora wasn't there yet, but some of the other teachers were there. Mary was talking animatedly to Diana, the school secretary. Even Bill was there, sitting alone and staring sourly into his cup of orange juice. He was still wearing his janitor cap which made Felix wonder if he ever took it off.

He took a seat on Gene's very expensive-looking couch. Even though Gene was just a principal of a school, he was very well-off. His parents had made lots of money, and when they died, all of it had gone to him-their only child. Felix looked around at all the fancy paintings and pottery that decorated the living room. One look into Gene's life and you could tell he lived in the canopy of the upper class.

"Oh Felix!" Mary squealed, running up to him. "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you come in!"

"It's nice to see you too Mary." Felix said, smiling at her. "You look lovely today."

"Thank you!" Mary said, giggling like a schoolgirl. "I was hoping you'd notice! I changed the part in my hair and everything! And this sweater is new too!"

Felix nodded and smiled, trying to ignore the fact that her "new" sweater looked exactly like all the other ones she had.

"And you look so…so _dashing _Felix!" Mary went on, her cheeks turning crimson. "You could almost pass for one of those Disney Princes!"

Felix blushed. "Aw, shucks Mary. That's really nice of you, but I wouldn't go _that _far."

"Oh, _I _would!" Mary said, smiling widely at him. "You're just so handsome Felix, any woman would be lucky to have you."

"You really think so?" Felix said, his mind drifting back to Tamora.

"I _know _so!" Mary giggled, pushing his shoulder affectionately. "I mean, you're just so kind, and loyal, and caring and-"

Felix's cheeks turned redder and redder with each compliment, but it wasn't nearly as bad as when he looked up to see her standing in the doorway.

Tamora had combed her bangs out of her eyes, and instead of her usual black and gray attire, had settled on dark indigo jeans and a light teal top that brought out her eyes perfectly. She was standing there, holding a box of doughnuts awkwardly, looking like she didn't know what to do with herself. She looked beautiful.

"Jiminy Jaminy." Felix breathed, his pupils practically turning heart-shaped.

"Felix?" Mary said, sounding distressed. "Are you okay? You look a little funny."

"Oh, I'm sorry Mary." Felix said, awaking from his haze. "Will you excuse me for a moment? There's someone I must talk to."

Mary sighed. "Of course, Felix."

Felix got up and walked over to Tamora quickly, the dopiest smile imaginable spread across his face. "H-hey Tamora." He said, trying to resist fainting on the spot. "I'm glad you could make it!"

She looked at him kindly, which was a unusual but very nice change. "Ah, thanks." She said, shifting her weight. "I…brought doughnuts."

"How…kind of you." Gene said, walking up and looking slightly irritated. "Thank you…Tamora." He couldn't hide the judgmental once-over he gave her.

"You're welcome." Tamora said stiffly, eying him the same way.

"Yes, that was really nice of you!" Felix exclaimed, trying to ease the growing tension.

Gene grabbed the box and walked over to the table full of food, setting it down rather roughly.

"I don't think I can do this." Felix heard Tamora whisper.

"Don't worry!" Felix said, trying to reassure her. "Here, follow me; I'll introduce you to everyone!" And he did. Everyone was nice and happy to meet her, only Mary had cast her an annoyed glare as she shook her hand, but Felix couldn't think of any reason why.

Some minutes later, they sat by each other on another one of Gene's luxurious sofas, eating some of the food everyone had brought. "What's this?" She asked him, poking her food with a fork.

"It's called a quiche, m'am." Felix explained. "It's like a pie with eggs, cheese, and ham. I…I made it."

"Really?" Tamora said, looking at him surprisingly. "I didn't know you could cook."

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me m'am." Felix said, buttering his piece of toast and looking down. "For example, a lot of people don't know that I am a very excellent clog dancer."

Tamora let out a bark of laughter.

This surprised Felix so much; he nearly cut himself with his butter knife. It was the first time he'd ever heard her laugh.

Tamora tried to push it down, but she couldn't help it. She laughed. "That's a good one, fix-it." She said, wiping her eyes.

Felix decided to not tell her he hadn't meant it as a joke. "Well, uh…thank you?" He stammered, not knowing exactly how to respond.

Tamora went back to devouring her food, a pleasant smile on her face. Felix thought it made her look even more radiant. They spent the rest of the afternoon just talking. It was the first time she had really opened up to him. As nervous as Felix got around her, once she started talking, it all became so easy. Talking to her just felt so natural. He asked her about how she was adjusting to the town, what kind of movies she liked, if she'd read any good books lately, even what her favorite color was. She answered black.

Before they knew it, they were the last people at the party-and it was time to go.

"I'll see you Monday, pint-sized." Tamora said, nodding briskly to him.

"You too, m'am!" Felix said. He felt pretty good about how'd the day had gone. It felt like she was finally starting to trust him. He got in his car and sat there for a few minutes, his heart and mind racing. She'd actually come to see him, to talk to _him. _Him! And they'd talked! For hours!

And most of all, he'd made her laugh.


	28. Contagious

"You almost done, kid?" Ralph said, pulling at his rake lazily. It felt like he'd been doing it for years now. But, Vanellope had insisted on creating the biggest leaf pile known to man_ and_ woman.

She scampered all about the yard, picking up every leaf she saw and adding it to her accumulating bounty. She'd even gone as far as to kick some of the trees so more leaves would fall. "Almost!" She called, trying to catch the leaves as they fell overhead. "Just a few more!" She stuffed them down her shirt and into her jacket pockets.

Ralph couldn't help but smile as she ran around. Vanellope was one of those kids who when they were happy, so were you. If she ever got sad (like that one time she dropped her ice cream cone on the sidewalk), you were sad to. She was contagious.

He bit his lip as he thought back to last night. She'd had another bad dream, and he'd woken up to find her huddling in the hallway closet, rocking back and forth.

"Vanellope," he'd said, picking her up and looking her in the eye. "What's wrong? Whatever it is, you can tell me."

But she'd just shaken her head. "I-I just had a bad dream, that's all Ralph." She'd said, not looking at him. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

Then she'd run back to her room, closing the door loudly.

Ralph knew there was something she wasn't telling him. He hoped everything was going okay at school. He hadn't gotten any calls from the principal or anything, so that had to be good, right? And Felix was always talking about what a "little angel" she was in Math.

He sighed. Every now and then, Pete's taunts and warnings would come back into his head, reminding him that he was just kidding himself, and that he would surely fail. He just couldn't shake that nagging feeling that something was wrong. To his knowledge at least, kids didn't get nightmares that were so bad, and so frequent.

"Okay Ralph! I finished!" Vanellope said, presenting him her pile. It was taller than her, almost 2 times more.

"Holy cow!" Ralph said, a look of astonishment crossing his face. "I didn't even know we had that many in our backyard!"

Vanellope grinned, looking pleased with herself. "Okay Ralph, move your molasses! Get over here!"

Ralph went over to her as Vanellope planned her jump. "Now I just got to get the perfect leap." She said, rocking backwards and forwards as she eyed the leaf pile determinedly.

Ralph waited.

After about a minute of her just standing there and "planning," Ralph couldn't take it anymore. "Kid, are you gonna do it, or am I going to have to throw you in?"

"Okay, okay!" Vanellope said. "I've got it now anyways."

"Sure." Ralph smirked.

"3, 2, 1!" Vanellope squealed, running at top speed with Ralph following behind. With a great leap, she flew into the air and landed in the pile, leafs scattering everywhere. When Ralph joined her, the leafs swirled and twirled so high, it looked like they were in the middle of a tornado.

"Woohoo!" Vanellope cheered, throwing the leaves around. "That was awesome!"

Ralph coughed. "I think I swallowed a leaf!" He exclaimed, clawing at his tongue.

This just caused Vanellope to laugh. "Haha, good one Ralph!" She said, scampering up to re-gather the leaves.

"I'm serious!" Ralph protested, gagging at the disgusting dead plant taste hanging in his mouth, but Vanellope just giggled at him.

"Well don't open your mouth when you're jumping, ya big dope!" She said.

"Rather be a dope than have stink feathers." Ralph said, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Rather have stink feathers than a fart face." Vanellope fired back.

"Better than a booger face." Ralph teased.

"Not as bad as being Mr. Body Odor." Vanellope said, smiling wickedly. "Beat that!"

Ralph paused. "Alright, you win this round." He said, grinning as Vanellope cheered and threw more leaves in the air. "But this will be continued."

"And I'll be prepared to win again!" Vanellope said, bowing like a queen. "Now my good man, bring me inside for my royal apple cider." She crawled onto his back and rested herself on his shoulders. "Onward!" She cheered.

"Yes, your majesty." Ralph said, smiling as he brought her inside.

That night, Ralph helped Vanellope get ready for bed. They watched a horror movie that wasn't that scary, had a popcorn fight, and played hide n' seek in the dark with flashlights. Vanellope had hidden behind the couch and popped out in front of Ralph, causing him to scream and become so scared he said that "he nearly soiled himself."

"Alright kid, you've got school tomorrow." Ralph said as he tucked her in, pushing her bangs out of her eyes. "So you gotta try to settle down."

"Fine!" Vanellope huffed, drawing out the "e" extra good and long.

Ralph turned out her lamp and switched the light switch off.

"Ralph?" Vanellope called from her bed, turning to look at him with her luminous eyes.

"Yes?" He said, turning to look at her from the door.

"Do you have my story yet?"

Ralph cringed as a fist of guilt gripped his insides. "Crud, I'm sorry Vanellope. I forgot all about that. I promise I'll get you one soon."

"Good." Vanellope said, yawning as she rolled over into her pillow. "Because it's mandatory…" Her voice trailed off, and soon Ralph could hear her faint breaths hitting the pillow, her exhaustion from the day evident.

Ralph walked back over to her and kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams kid." He said, patting her head gently.

And even though she was asleep, Ralph couldn't miss the smile that slipped across her face as she drifted off into a world of dreams.


	29. Fire-Eaters

**A/N: Does anyone read these? I never do when other people write stories. #Hypocrite. Anyways, thank you, thank you, thank you! If you've made it this far, * cyberhug * **

**Cute Girl: **I love your ideas, but I don't think I'll be able to fit them in. However, I would love to write a one-shot where it's "Bring Your Parent to Work" day. That sounds fabulous! And the cooking thing as well, all though I already have something a little bit like that coming up.

**Dorumon-9000: **Thank you for reading! I'm thinking of continuing this story and universe when this is over, so don't worry. I mean, I get to write for Hero's Cuties, RalphxVanellope (friendly fluff), and Sugar Rush funness-all in one!

* * *

"Attention everyone!" Taffyta said Monday morning. Everyone turned to look at her, as always. Miss Mary wasn't in the room yet, so everyone had just been sitting around talking when Taffyta had walked to the front of the room and clapped her hands together excitedly. Candlehead was at her side of course, and holding a bright pink box. She looked thrilled to get to share the spotlight.

"As you all know probably know, next week is Halloween!" Taffyta said, waving her arms around with the air and grace of a queen. "And to celebrate, this Saturday I'm having the bestest, most fabulous party ever! And all of you are invited!"

The kids all turned to each other and whispered excitedly. "Taffyta always throws the best parties!" Adorabeezle said to Vanellope. "Her parents are loaded! Her house is practically the size of our whole school!"

"Wow." Vanellope said. She wasn't surprised.

Candlehead walked around to each desk and took a sparkly envelope out of the pink box and set it down. Vanellope opened it up. Even the invitation seemed expensive. It was printed on fancy paper, and had pictures of bats and ghosts around the boarder.

"It's going to be literally the best party ever." Taffyta was saying, obviously adoring the attention she was getting. "And since it's Halloween, you will need to bring a costume to wear."

Vanellope winced. She still hadn't thought of what she was going to be for Halloween. And if the party was Saturday…that only left her 5 days! Including today! She gulped.

"I'm going as a pop star." Vanellope heard Snowanna say to Crumbelina. "I've got these awesome sparkly pants and everything!"

"I'm going as an Egyptian." Crumbelina replied. "I got this dress with all these jewels on it, and this wig…"

Vanellope sighed. It seemed like everyone already knew what they were doing-except her. "Do you know what you're going to dress up as?" Vanellope asked Adorabeezle.

She shrugged. "Not 100% for sure. But I was thinking of just going as Katniss, from _The Hunger Games. _It's my favorite book."

"Oh." Vanellope said. She'd never heard of that book, but still, even Adorabeezle knew! She would have to talk to Ralph ASAP. Getting out a marker, she wrote (as neatly as she could) on her hand, _talk to Ralph. _

"I hope you all can come!" Taffyta said, smiling brightly at them all. She and Candlehead retreated back to their desks.

As she headed back over, Vanellope got a sinking feeling in her stomach. Last time she'd checked, Taffyta hated her guts. Why would she want to invite her?

"Uh, Taffyta?" Vanellope said apprehensively. "Thanks for the invitation and all, but are you sure you want me to come? I mean, I thought you said-"

"Oh Vanellope!" Taffyta said with a twinkly laugh. "I was just kidding about all that stuff! Right Candlehead?"

"Yeah!" Candlehead said, nodding furiously. "It was just a joke!"

They both smiled at her so big, it was slightly creepy.

"Al-alright." Vanellope said, stilling not completely trusting them. But then again, maybe all that stuff that happened at the haunted house had brought them together in a way. After all, it was hard to go through a terrifying experience and _not _like the person you spent it with. Right?

That afternoon, Vanellope sat with Gloyd, Rancis, and Swizzle as they ate their lunch outside. "What are you guys going to be?" Vanellope asked them, taking a bite of her pizza.

"I was going to go as Harry Potter." Rancis said. "I've got a wand and the glasses too!"

"Oh." Vanellope said, not knowing who that was either. Gosh, she was going to have to start keeping a list of all these famous people.

"My costume is going to be a surprise." Gloyd said, a satisfied grin on his face. Even when the other 3 begged and pleaded with him, he wouldn't budge. "You'll just have to find out at the party." He said.

"What about you, Vanellope?" Swizzle asked. "Have you figured out your costume yet?"

"Ah…" Vanellope said, her face burning from the sudden spotlight on her. "Mine…mine is a surprise too." She finally said, crossing her fingers behind her back. _So much of surprise, even I don't know what it is, _she thought to herself, only half joking.

"Well, I bet it's going to be cool!" Rancis said, leaning back to watch the clouds.

The other boys turned to each other to start yet another conversation on monster trucks. Vanellope turned to watch as the colorful leaves fell from the trees. She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her face in her hands. She just still couldn't get why Taffyta was being nice to her. Who goes from saying that they hate you, to inviting you to their party? Maybe she was bipolar.

"Do you guys think Taffyta hates me?"She said, turning to glance at her friends.

"Who cares what Taffyta thinks?" Gloyd said, picking at a leaf that had fallen near him. "And anyways, why would she hate you? Just 'cause you beat her in a race?"

"I doubt she hates you." Swizzle said. "She's just a drama queen."

"I guess so…" Vanellope said, still not feeling completely reassured.

"I can't believe you're even friends with her." Swizzle added, muttering to Rancis.

"She's…not so bad." Rancis said, looking awkward. "When she's not mad, anyways."

"So basically all the time?" Swizzle said dryly. They all laughed.

Rancis blushed, looking nervous, as if Taffyta was watching over them right now. "Basically."

"If you guys don't like her, then why are you going to her party?" Vanellope asked, looking at them curiously.

"Because her parties are always awesome." Gloyd said, shrugging.

"Last year, she had a fire-eater at her party!" Swizzle exclaimed.

"There was a fire-eater?" Vanellope said, her mouth dropping open in astonishment. "No way!"

They all nodded enthusiastically and started a conversation based purely on all the amazing things Taffyta had at previous parties.

Vanellope's previous nervousness suddenly increased. She would have to think of an awesome costume to wear, so Taffyta wouldn't think she was "lame." If she showed up wearing one so cool, Taffyta wouldn't have any way to make fun of her.

It was foolproof.

Right?


	30. TC

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, I know, 3 days is like a year in my time. I got a new computer and had to get it all set up. Here's a little shortie chapter, but more is on the way. **

* * *

Felix sat at his desk, rubbing his face in his hands. So far, this hadn't been his week. His car had broken down, and he was behind in work. Normally, he would be able to just fix it up in a minute, but he'd been so busy lately with work and such, he'd had to take it into the shop. So now he either had to catch a bus, or walk home every morning and afternoon. While he enjoyed the exercise, it was rather tiring, especially with the colder weather approaching.

And now he had a pile of tests he had to grade, one from each student in each class, and he wasn't even halfway done yet. He'd come early in the morning to get a head start, and the lack of sleep was shown in the dark circles under his eyes. It was taking everything in his will to not fall over and go right to sleep.

Felix loved his job-he really did! But at the moment every part of him was wishing it was summer vacation again. He thought back to that early September afternoon, when he, Ralph and Vanellope had spent the day at the beach. He could still smell the softness of the summer breeze, the seagulls calling to each other as they flew about, and the sand between his toes.

_C'mon Felix, _he chided himself. _You've got work to do! No more daydreaming! _He sighed frustratedly and pressed his pen down roughly, causing a bright blue splatter of ink to paint the page.

"Tough day?" A voice called from the door.

The honeyglows burned on Felix's cheeks as Tamora smirked and walked over to him. "Y-yes."  
He said, embarassed that she was seeing him so stressed. "I'm just-"

"Don't worry fix-it, we all have those days." She said, standing in front of his desk. She rested her hands on it and looked down at him.

Felix's heart skipped a beat. She was standing very close to him, well, minus the desk. "C-can I help you?" He asked, clearing his throat. He suddenly started to feel like he was drowning again. He internally cursed himself. He was trying to work on being more...settled around Tamora. It wasn't working too well.

"I just...wanted to stop by." She said, looking awkward. "To make sure you were alright."

"Oh." Felix said. "Well...I'm fine. But thank you for asking."

"You sure?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

He nodded, not wanting to go off on his issues. He didn't want to bore her, and he preferred not to think about it anyways.

"Well...ah," Tamora said, searching for words to say. "I'll just be going then." She stood up straight and nodded to him. Felix realized that he'd never seen her wave to anyone. She would just nod and leave. But then again, waving didn't exactly compute with a person like her.

"Thank you for stopping by," Felix said, giving her a warm smile.

"Yeah." She said, looking pleased.

Felix had just turned back to his papers when he heard a soft thud hit his desk. He looked up to see a white paper bag sitting in front of him, and Tamora walking out the door. A yellow sticky note read, "In case you get hungry. - TC"

Looking curious, he opened the bag and peered in.

There sat a blueberry muffin.


	31. The Hero and the Princess

"Are you sure this is the one you want?" Ralph asked. "Because I'm pretty sure it's not for girls."

"Of course I'm sure!" Vanellope said. "It's the bestest one in the whole store!"She shook with excitement.

Ralph scratched his head. He didn't even know they even _made _these kinds of costumes for kids. For teenagers, yes, but not 3rd graders. The Halloween store was full of the Friday hustle and bustle of people buying last minute costumes for Wednesday. He'd walked her through the girls' part of the store, but, according to her, Sleeping Beauty was too sleepy, Monster High wasn't scary enough, Go-go dancers were too "sassy," and Snow White was too dead. "Okay, go try it on!" He said, pushing her into the dressing room.

She scampered in, the clanking of metal resounding very loudly from inside.

"Do you need any help in there?" Ralph called, guarding the dressing room door.

"Uh, no Ralph!" She grunted. More clanking. "You can't come in here, that's gross!"

"Right, right, I forgot." Ralph said, his cheeks turning slightly pinker.

"What? That I'm not a boy?" Vanellope said sarcastically.

"Just hurry up!" Ralph exclaimed, his cheeks burning more and red by the second. He scowled as other moms in the store gave him dirty looks. As if it was illegal to buy a girl anything but something pink for Halloween. He saw _their_ girls twirl around in puffy dresses that looked like they were made of so much fabric you could drown in them.

He felt a small twinge of guilt as he wondered if he _was _doing something wrong. It wasn't weird to buy a boys' costume for Vanellope, was it? As long as she liked it, that was all that should matter.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Vanellope clattered out. "Well, what do you think?" She asked him, pushing the glass of the helmet up.

"Do you like it?" Ralph said, still feeling kind of strange. He didn't know why he was so...freaked out about it. What man didn't want a tomboy daughter? It made her so much more relatable to him. Vanellope just wasn't what he had expected to get when he'd adopted a girl. He expected his life to be full of ponies and fairies. The idea had taken some getting used to. The months leading up to her adoption, he'd prepared himself for it. He'd gone out and bought every Barbie, My Little Pony, Disney Princess, and Monster High DVD the store offered. He'd even gotten her a doll.

But now, all those DVDs sat in the hallways closet, unopened, and Vanellope had just stuck the Barbie into a bottle of diet cola with Mentos to see if it would explode. She was different, alright. But in a good way. After all, how many little girls did he know that wanted to dress up as a soldier from _Hero's Duty_ for Halloween? None. Except her.

"Gadoi!" Vanellope said, smiling. "Look, the gun lights up and makes sounds!" She held up the oversized weapon towards him and pulled the trigger. Lights flashed and the sound of bullets sounded off. Luckily, it couldn't fire off anything.

Ralph couldn't help but smile. "Then you can have it." He said, all his past worries faded away.

"Yay!" Vanellope cheered, jumping in the air. "Thanks Ralph!"  
One of the little girls in the pouffy dresses frowned at her. "Um, why are you like, getting a boy costume? The dresses are over there." She pointed down the magic sparkles section. "You shouldn't get that one."

"Or you could shut up and let me buy whatever I want." Vanellope said, glaring at her mischievously.

"Vanellope!" Ralph exclaimed.

"I'm going to tell my mom on you!" The little girl hissed, running off, leaving a trail of glitter behind.

"Let's get out of here kid," Ralph said, pushing her back into the dressing room. She changed out quickly and they both rushed to the cashier. Ralph caught a glimpse the girl and her pissed-off looking mother as they headed out the door, but Vanellope just waved and blew them a kiss. "See ya chump!" She called, laughing.

Ralph picked her up and speed-walked into the car.

"Did you see the look on her face?" Vanellope laughed, peering out the window to see if they had followed them. "Haha!"

"That. Wasn't funny." Ralph said, trying to push down the chuckles erupting from his throat. "Y-you shouldn't have done that." But he couldn't help it. He laughed. He laughed so much tears streamed from his eyes and his sides hurt.

Vanellope joined him, and soon they were laughing like a pair of hyenas. And as Ralph sat in that car on that late Friday evening, he realized it didn't matter if Vanellope was a boy or a girl. If she liked race cars or rainbows, if she liked Hero's Duty or Hannah Montana.

He loved this kid.


	32. The Party

Ralph pulled up at the mansion that was Taffyta's house. "Mother Hubbard!" He whistled, peering out the car window. "You sure this is the right place, kid? 'Cause I think we just pulled up at a hotel."

Vanellope looked down at the invitation in her hands. "Nope, this is the place." She said shakily, butterflies going crazy inside her stomach.

"Well, have a fun time." Ralph said, pinching her cheek. After much angst and trials, Vanellope decided against wearing her helmet, as it was hard to see out of and made her too hot.

"Cut it out!" Vanellope giggled, pushing his hands away.

"And remember, if you need anything, anything at all, you can call me." Ralph said. "You have our number memorized, right?"

"Yes." Vanellope sighed, "And don't worry, Ralph! I'll be fine!" She gave him a hug and ran out of the car. She walked up to the steps slowly, feeling like she was on the edge of vurping.

Taffyta's house was ginormous. It had three floors and was really long. It felt like she was going to visit the White House.

Halloween decorations covered the perfectly kept manicured lawn. Vanellope could hear loud music playing from inside, and see colorful flashing lights through the windows. She rang the doorbell. A long, fancy, ring went off throughout the home. Vanellope raised her eyebrows, impressed. Her doorbell didn't even work on account of one time these "crazy kids" shot an airsoft gun at it. Or at least that's what Ralph said.

One of the huge doors swung open and a pretty woman wearing a maid's uniform opened the door. "Hello sweetie!" She said, offering Vanellope a huge smile. "Are you here for the party?"

"Yes." Vanellope said, nodding. _Duh_, she added mentally, but didn't say out loud since she didn't want to be rude. After her "little stunt" yesterday, Ralph had sat her down and talked to her about her manners. Basically she needed to get better at keeping some thoughts in her head.

"Come right in!" The lady said in a voice as sweet as cherry pie. "It's right down the hallway, last door on the right."

Vanellope followed her instructions and headed down the foyer. Fancy paintings and photographs hung on the tall walls, and Vanellope assumed that every decoration here was worth more than her house.

She got to the last door and opened it up. Loud music was playing, it was this weird combination of Thriller and another song Vanellope didn't know. Disco balls were everywhere, and a bubble machine sat in the corner, pumping away. There was a dance floor-right in the middle of the room! With changing colored lights and everything! There was a table full of treats and goodies, including a large cake shaped like a haunted house.

Taffyta was standing in the middle of it all, looking like she'd just won the lottery. Not that she'd even need to ever enter. She was dressed in one of those humungous dresses she'd seen at the costume store, and had a big crown rested on her head. Instead of her hair hanging in it's usual straight stance, Taffyta had curled it so it was nice and wavy.

Vanellope self-consciously found herself wishing that she'd changed her hair too. It was just in it's normal ponytail. She gripped her gun tighter out of nervousness.

Candlehead stood at Taffyta's side, as always, dressed in a sparkly dress with even sparklier wings attached to her back. She had a headband in her hair that had two antennae on top, that would bob and bounce when she moved her head.

Vanellope walked up to them nervously. "Hey guys!" She said, smiling as big as she could. " Nice costumes!"

"I know right?" Taffyta said, fluffing her hair pompously. "Mine came all the way from New York!"

Vanellope raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"I'm a butterfly!" Candlehead said, smiling.

"I think we all can tell that." Taffyta said, looking at her freshly painted nails. She looked up at Vanellope. "And what are you supposed to be?"

"I'm from Hero's Duty." Vanellope explained. "It's a video game." She added when they looked at her with blank faces.

"Never heard of it?" Candlehead said, looking confused (not that that was anything new for her).

"I hate video games." Taffyta said, rolling her eyes, bored with Vanellope already. "They're for losers."

Vanellope bit her lip as Taffyta and Candlehead laughed together. Thankfully, the doorbell rang again, and that took Taffyta's attention away from her.

"Ooh! Do you think it's Rancis?" Taffyta, adjusting her dress and tiara.

"Probably!" Candlehead said, handing Taffyta some lip gloss.

"According to my horoscope, I'm going to get kissed tonight!" Taffyta squealed. Her and Candlehead locked hands and giggled, jumping up and down.

If Vanellope had been drinking, she would have done a spit-take. "Wait, you think Rancis is going to kiss you?!" She exclaimed.

Taffyta looked at her as if Vanellope just asked her what planet they lived on. "Uh-duh!" She said, throwing Candlehead a look. "I mean, he likes me, doesn't he? And we'd be so perfect together!"

Vanellope sighed. "Taffyta, I don't think he wants to kiss you." She said, looking annoyed. "Trust me-and anyways, we're only in 3rd grade, we don't need boyfriends! Ralph said he didn't start dating until college."

"Well, you don't know what you're talking about." Taffyta said, pulling out a compact mirror and fixing her eyeliner. "And whoever Ralph is, he's retarded." Vanellope glared at her as the door swung open. It was Rancis, but with Swizzle and Gloyd. Rancis was wearing a short, black, messy wig, a black robe, and big, round glasses. Someone had drawn a lightning-bolt with Sharpie on his forehead and he held a brown wand in his hand. Swizzle was wearing his zombie doctor costume-a doctor's uniform only with tears and blood stains all over it. He had makeup on his face that made it look all creepy and sunken in, and carried one of those things doctors used to tap your knee with. But Gloyd's costume was the creepiest. His face was white and he was black art around his mouth and eyes that resembled a skull. He wore a black hood that was attached to a long robe that dragged against the ground. In his hands he held a large pickaxe that was covered in "blood." If Vanellope hadn't known it was him, she would have been terrified.

"Welcome!" Taffyta said, smiling extra wide.

"Great costumes!" Vanellope said. "You guys all look awesome!"

"Thanks!" Gloyd said. "You too!"

"What are you from?" Rancis asked her.

"I'm from Hero's Duty." Vanellope said, her cheeks blushing. "It's this war game where you have to shoot all these cy-bugs that are taking over the world."

"My brother has that game!" Swizzle exclaimed. "It's so cool! I'm so bad at it though!" They boys all crowded around Vanellope to examine her costume. They raved about how cool her outfit was, and how awesome her gun was. They all got to take turns holding it, as long as they promised Vanellope they would be careful with it. Vanellope felt a surge of pride in realizing that she had picked out a good costume. But even still, she could feel Taffyta's eyes burning into the back of her skull.

Before they knew it, all the other kids had arrived, looking amazing in their costumes. Adorabeezle even had a real bow and arrow! Jubileena and Citrusella and teamed up and gone as blue and red crayons. And Torvald looked too cute in her kitten costume. They spent the first 20 minutes or so of the party just dancing and talking, examining each others costumes and going on and on about how cool everybody looked. Soon Taffyta turned the music down slightly and got out a microphone.

"Alright everybody!" She said. "It's time for party games!" They all quieted down and turned their attention to her. "I've got a fabulous night planned!" Taffyta went on. "So let's get started!"

To start off the night, the kids all went on a scavenger hunt in the dark. Parts of it were inside, and parts of it were outside. They had one flashlight per group and a map of the whole place. Since it was pitch black outside, and all the lights were turned off inside, and Taffyta's house was so big, it felt like they were in a horror movie. Taffyta had drawn the names of everyone's groups and "luckily" Rancis' name had come up to be in her group. Unfortunately for her, she'd also picked Gloyd's name, who Vanellope knew she despised.

On those first few days when she had Taffyta had actually been friends, she went off about how immature he was.

"But I thought you wanted me to like him?" Vanellope had asked, looking confused.

"Oh well...um" Taffyta had paused, looking embarrassed. "He's not _so_ bad. For _you_. I just don't like him."

As they had walked off in their groups to start the hunt, Vanellope had seen Gloyd pull Taffyta' s hair from behind.

"Stop it!" Taffyta had exclaimed, looking infuriated. "If you keep on acting like this Gloyd, I swear I will kill you with that stupid ax of yours!"

Gloyd had just laughed.

Vanellope was in a group with Sticky and Candlehead. They walked around the house, looking frightened. Vanellope wondered if Taffyta was going to try to kiss Rancis on the hunt. But then again, it's not like she'd get a chance with Gloyd around. She shuddered involuntarily, sticking out her tongue. Why would Taffyta even want to kiss Rancis anyways? Or anyone, for that matter? What was so fun about getting other people's spit in your mouth? Nothing. Nothing was fun about that. Yeah, Rancis was nice and all, but seriously-why not just give him a hug or something?

"Where are we now?" Sticky asked, holding up the map.

Vanellope turned the flashlight on it, and then shown it on the walls. "Uh...inside?" She said. She turned to Candlehead. "You've been here a bazillion times-do you know where we are?"

Candlehead shook her head. "I can't tell where we are-it's too dark?"

Vanellope and Sticky sighed. They kept moving throughout the house. There was stuff on the list like a skeleton, a glowing pumpkin, and bats. Vanellope and her group were pretty good at finding things, and soon all they needed to find was a coffin.

Suddenly, they heard a loud, terrified scream shake the walls of the house. Sticky, Vanellope and Candlehead looked at each other, alarmed, and ran towards the sound. A couple feet away, they came upon Taffyta, Rancis and Gloyd. Taffyta was the one who had screamed, she was clutching Rancis and looking a scary mix between enraged and petrified. Gloyd was rolling on his back, laughing.

"That wasn't funny Gloyd!" Taffyta screamed at him. "Gob, you're so immature!"

"What happened?" Sticky asked.

"Dumb Gloyd jumped out and scared me!" Taffyta hissed.

"Wow, Gloyd, that's really silly." Candlehead said, standing up for Taffyta.

But Gloyd just kept laughing. "You should have seen her face!" He howled, tears running down his face. "It was priceless!"

Vanellope couldn't help but laugh.

Taffyta glared at her. "That's it, the hunt is over! I'm going to go turn the lights back on." She snatched the flashlight away from Rancis and stormed back off down the hallway. Candlehead followed closely behind.

"What a baby." Vanellope muttered as they left.

Gloyd got up off the floor and dusted his costume off. "I got her good, didn't I?" He smirked.

"Yeah." Sticky said, and the four of them laughed. "Can someone fix my scar?" Rancis said, trying to look up at his forehead. "I think it's rubbing off!" "I'll do it," Vanellope said as the lights flicked back on. Rancis took a marker out of his robe pocket and handed it to her. Vanellope leaned over him and traced the fading lightning-bolt.

There were a pair of footsteps, and Vanellope glanced over to see Taffyta, looking angry. "What. Are you. Doing?" She snapped to Vanellope.

"I was just helping Rancis." Vanellope said, finishing up.

Taffyta looked like she wanted to strangle her. "Well, you can stop now." She said.

"Thanks Vanellope." Rancis said, putting his glasses back on and walking off.

Vanellope went to follow him but Taffyta gripped her arm, stopping her. She held onto her so tightly, it felt like she was cutting off of Vanellope's circulation.

"Hey, quit it!" Vanellope exclaimed, trying to move her arm away.

"I know what you're up to!" Taffyta whispered. "And you better cut it out before I make you regret the day you were born!"

"Jeez Taffyta!" Vanellope said, still squirming. "I told you a million times, I don't like Rancis!"

"Yeah right." Taffyta said. She released her grip but her glare remained ever cold. "You better watch your back." She said. She let out a dry laugh and fluffed her hair again. "Not that he'd ever like you, you're so...worthless."

Vanellope froze as the sudden sensation of being shot filled her. Her head started to pound and her eyes watered slightly, but she shook it off. It wasn't that she said, but how she did. The words slammed into her memories and brought back a flood of things she never wanted to remember.

Taffyta walked off back down the hallway, but Vanellope remained behind to catch her breath. Soon, she went back over to the main room where everyone else was gathered.

"Well, that was fun-wasn't it?" Taffyta was saying, sounding as innocent as an angel. Vanellope walked over and blended herself into the crowd of kids. "Now we're going to take a little break, so you can go back to dancing or whatever." Taffyta said.

Vanellope went to drink some punch that had blinking ice cubes in it. How Taffyta had accomplished that, she had no clue.

Rancis walked up beside her. "Do you know when we're going to have the cake?" He asked, eying it longingly.

"No clue." Vanellope said, shrugging.

Rancis sighed.

Vanellope look over her shoulder nervously to see if Taffyta had seen them together. She had. Unless there was some over reason she was giving Vanellope the death stare.

"Look Rancis, I don't think Taffyta wants you to talk to me." Vanellope muttered, picking up a handful of Skittles and eating one slowly.

"Well, I don't have to do everything Taffyta tells me too." Rancis snorted. "She's not the boss of who I'm friends with."

_Try telling that to her_, Vanellope thought, still feeling the daggers that were pushing into her back.

"Hey, do you guys want to dance?" Gloyd said, running up to both of them.

"Yeah!" Rancis said.

"Okay!" Vanellope said. They ran to the dance floor where a couple of kids were already congregated.

"Does anyone know any cool dance moves?" Swizzle was asking.

"Uh, I know one." Vanellope said. "Ralph taught it to me. He's said it's called 'The Thriller'."

"Show it to us." Snowanna said.

Vanellope started off slowly, but soon she got into it. More and more kids started doing what she was doing, and soon they were all dancing good enough to make Michael Jackson jealous. All but Taffyta and Candlehead, who were glaring angrily from the side of the room.

Vanellope didn't get it. Why couldn't Taffyta just relax and have fun? Just because she wasn't the center of attention all the time didn't mean she had to get all upset about it. The others all danced and had a good time. After a while though, Vanellope had to take a bathroom break.

"Uh, where's the restroom?" Vanellope asked , walking up to Taffyta.

"First door on the left." Taffyta said, pointing down the hallway and glowering. Vanellope nodded and walked to it. The bathroom was big and fancy-just like everything else in the house. She used the bathroom and washed her hands. She looked at herself in the grand mirror. Her hair was really messy from dancing, and she was kinda sweaty. She put some water on her hands and fixed her hair back up.

She turned off the lights and walked out into the hallway-face-to-face with Taffyta. "Taffyta?" Vanellope said, her heart rate spiking. "What are you doing here? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Well, that would be a shame, wouldn't it?" Taffyta and Candlehead giggled, smirking at each other.

Vanellope tried to inch away, but Taffyta blocked her path once again. "W-what's up?" Vanellope said, her voice shaking.

"What's up?" Taffyta asked. "_What's up? _What's up is that you're ruining my party!" She exclaimed.

"What?!" Vanellope exclaimed. "No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!" Taffyta said. "First you try to steal my boyfriend, and then you take all the attention away from me!"

"Rancis is NOT your boyfriend!" Vanellope cried. "He doesn't even like you!"

Taffyta said nothing but snatched her gun away.

"Hey! Give that back!" Vanellope said, trying to reach for it, but Taffyta held it above her head.

"Aw, does wittle baby Wanellope want her stupid toy back?" She said. "Too bad!" She tossed it to Candlehead, who caught it.

"Please, just give me it back!" Vanellope pleaded, running back and forth between them as they tossed it around.

"Come and get it!" Taffyta teased before throwing it back to Candlehead. However, Candlehead wasn't the best at catching, and the gun fell to the ground with a loud _CRACK. _

Vanellope let out a cry of shock as she saw it had snapped in half. Candlehead and Taffyta went over and started kicking and stomping on it. "Please! Cut it out!" Vanellope said, tears streaming down her face now. "You're breaking it! Please just stop!"

They did stop, but it was too late. Vanellope's gun was smashed into smithereens.

Taffyta straightened up and headed back towards the party, Candlehead ever attached. "Loser." She heard them laugh. She chased after them and into the party room. Taffyta was standing by the food table and laughing.

"Taffyta, I'm sick of you being so mean to me!' She exclaimed, her fists clenched.

Taffyta turned to look over at her. "What are you going to do?" She asked, putting her hand on her hip and raising an eyebrow.

"I'm going to-" Vanellope began, but she slipped on some of the bubble liquid that was on the floor. With a cry of exclamation, she tumbled face-forward, right into the haunted house cake. There was a loud gasp throughout the room.

Vanellope raised her face, covered in frosting and fondant. After a moment of silence, Taffyta laughed. She laughed at her. Candlehead joined in, and soon even other kids couldn't hide their giggles.

"Are you-okay?" Gloyd called between laughs.

Vanellope's faced burned as soon everyone in the room was laughing and pointing at her. Ashamed, she ran out of the room and into the hallway. She heard somebody call her name, but she didn't stop. She ran and ran until she bumped into that maid from earlier.

"Oh my goodness me!" She said. "What happened to you?"

"Can I just have a phone?" Vanellope said, tears leaking out of her eyes. The maid nodded somberly, walking off and returning a minute later with one at hand. Vanellope dialed the number and sat on the floor. She could still hear the kids laughing in head, the horrible sounds of Taffyta and Candlehead breaking her gun. She tired not to, but she sobbed.

"Hello?"

"Ralph." Vanellope said. "I need you to come pick me up."

"Vanellope?" Ralph said into the phone, sounding worried. "Is that you? What happened? What's going on?"

"Just come get me, okay?" Vanellope whispered. "Please."

"I'll be right over." Ralph said quickly, hanging up the phone. Vanellope walked passed the door of the party room as she headed out the door.

"She's such a freak!" She could hear Taffyta saying.

Vanellope didn't stick around to see what the others said in response. Instead she just ran out the front door to wait for Ralph and cry.


	33. Thunderstorms

Ralph lay in his bed, trying to fall asleep. Thunder boomed mightily overhead, and a brilliant streak of lightning lit up the sky. He brought up his pillows to his ears and groaned. There was no way he was ever going to get rest during a storm like this. Not to mention he was too busy worrying about Vanellope to do anything else.

He had failed. He thought he could be a good parent, but he just wasn't. Nothing so simple had ever broken his heart than when Vanellope had called him and said, "Please." Just hearing the pain in her voice had driven him crazy. He'd driven over to Taffyta's house immediately, the image of Vanellope sitting on the sidewalk crying awaiting him. She looked like a mess, covered in cake and tears.

"What the heck happened to you?" He had said, getting out of the car and running over to her.

She hadn't answered, instead she just hurried into the back seat and slammed the door, refusing to talk.

"Vanellope!" Ralph had exclaimed in frustration. "Please, tell me what's wrong!"

"I just want to go home." Vanellope whispered in the most pitiful voice Ralph had ever heard. It was liking watching someone kick a puppy-you couldn't handle it. Ralph was willing to do anything to help her-to make her feel better, to put that smile he adored back on her face. But she wouldn't even look at him, she'd just locked herself in her room wouldn't come out-no matter how much Ralph begged and pleaded.

He'd said that he'd never let anyone hurt her. And now he had failed. Pete was right, he didn't know anything about kids. Who was he kidding?

He let out a loud sigh as he felt a sharp pain prick his heart. Ralph never cried, except that _one _time in the series finale of _LOST, _but he felt like he was ready to now. He never wanted Vanellope to feel hurt, upset, alone, or betrayed. But now she obviously was.

The tears threatened to leak out but he pushed them back in. He was just so _frustrated_. He wished he wasn't himself so he could pin the Ralph who'd failed down and yell at him. "I told you!" He would yell, shaking his finger at himself. "You don't know anything! You're so stupid! She's hurt, and you don't even know why! What were you thinking?!"

He'd failed.

He stared up at the ceiling, feeling dead inside. The thunder pounded through his ears and shook the house. He lay there for hours, his mind blank, and his heart hurting.

At around 2:00 am, he felt something crawling over him. He sat up, alarmed. Another bright flash of lightning went off and illuminated Vanellope, who was kneeling over his face. "Are you awake?" She whispered.

"Yes." Ralph said, relieved that it was her.

She looked somewhat embarrassed as she bit her lip and said, "I...couldn't sleep. The storm is too loud."

"Well, uh, here-" Ralph scooted over to make room for her in his bed. She crawled up beside him and clutched his side, nuzzling her head on his shoulder. Ralph opened his arm and wrapped it around her, pulling her close to him. She tried to close her eyes but couldn't, instead she turned her eyes to a spot a bit behind Ralph's head.

They lay their for awhile, saying nothing, just listening to the sound of the rain and each others steady heartbeats.

After a long period of time, Vanellope murmured; "Why does everyone hate me?"

Ralph took a small intake of breath. "Everyone doesn't hate you. Why would you ever think that?"

She sighed and buried her face into Ralph's arm. She said nothing for a few moments and soon Ralph could feel his arm getting wet. She was crying. Silently, but nothing could hide the sensation of tears dripping onto his skin and rolling slowly to his hand, feeling as cold as ice. He gripped her more tightly, not wanting her to feel afraid.

"The kids at the orphanage...they would tease me." Vanellope said in a voice so quiet it could barely be heard over the thunder. "They hid my things, and broke them. There was one girl-Nancy, she hated me the most. She and these other girls would pull at my hair and-and-kick me."

Ralph turned to look at her and she shook, clutching his arm. "They were so mean, and I never did anything to them." She cried, her voice cracking. "They said I was worthless, and that nobody wanted me...just because I was left on the d-doorstep. My mom and dad _c-chose _to leave m-me!"

"Oh Vanellope," Ralph murmured, turning her towards him and hugging her. She put her face in his neck and rubbed her hand over his shoulder, feeling as fragile as glass.

"Th-they would chase me to try to beat me up when they got b-bored." She continued, her voice shaking. "I w-would have to hide in the closets so they wouldn't find me. I-I tried to be their friends, but they didn't care. They just hit me, and c-called me n-names! And w-when I told Ms. Jillian, she wouldn't believe m-me, since they were so n-nice to everyone else!" She broke into another sob that left his shoulder soaked, but he didn't care.

"Is that why you go in the closets?" Ralph whispered, rubbing his hand up and down her back gently.

She nodded. "I keep having dreams where they come back here, and they take me away from you-and I have to s-stay back there-forever! And I never get to s-see you again, and you don't l-love me anymore, and-" Her voice broke and the words faded away.

Ralph turned her face to look at him. He wiped her tears away from her cheeks and looked her in the eyes. "Vanellope, I want you to listen to me-no matter what happens, I will never let anyone take you from me. I-" He sighed, trying to think of the perfect words to express everything he was feeling, but none came to mind. "You need to always remember that, okay?"

She nodded, wiping her nose on her sleeve.

She lay back down, resting her head on him again. After a moment or too, Ralph broke the silence. "I didn't really have parents either." He said, looking upwards. He felt a shift and he knew she was watching him. "My-my parents died when I was little, a bit younger than you, actually." He shut his eyes, not wanting to remember, but he knew he had to tell her. It was either now or later, and now seemed about right. "I was bumped around to every house imaginable-nobody wanted me. I got into some bad stuff. I'm lucky that I'm not sitting in prison right now."

"What made you change?" Vanellope whispered.

"Felix." Ralph answered with a soft laugh. "He straightened me up, alright. Without him-I don't know where I'd be right now."

Ralph felt her smile against him, a small giggle escaping her throat and hanging in the air.

"I don't want you to go through what I did." Ralph said quietly. "Trust me, it's not fun. I want to make you forget every bad thing you went through, every awful memory-gone."

Vanellope let out a sigh of-was it relief? "Nancy said no one would ever adopt me." She said darkly. "That there were other kids better than me."

Ralph turned to her. "Vanellope, you're amazing. Some people are just to stupid to see it. And out of all the other kids I could have adopted...I thank God every day that I got you."

Vanellope turned to him with a peaceful smile. She leaned upwards and pecked his cheek, leaving it tingling. "I'm glad I got you too Ralph." She said, cuddling closer to him.

Then they lay back, closing their eyes as they held each other, waiting out the storm.


	34. It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

It was that time of year again-lawn decorations, scary commercials, people coming door to door, terrifying TV specials...

Election season.

And while the rest of the country was arguing over who would be the next president of the United States, the 3rd Graders at R. Moore Elementary had other things on mind.

Monday morning, Vanellope walked into school, feeling better. It had been a week since the party and the...incident, and she was pretty much over it by now. Sort of. The Monday after, the kids (minus Taffyta and Candlehead) had come up to her and apologized for laughing at her. They didn't know anything about her costume mishap, but they all felt pretty guilty about the whole cake thing.

"We tried to find you after you left!" Jubileena explained, clasping her hands together.

"But you were already gone!" Rancis finished.

"We're really sorry!" Swizzle said, sticking out his lower lip. "We didn't know you'd get so upset."

"It's fine!" Vanellope had said, feeling relieved. "Don't worry about it."

She was alright with _them_, but in her lonely hours she was starting to find pleasure in planning out how she was going to get revenge on Taffyta. She would shove _her _in a cake! Then laugh at _her_! Maybe then Taffyta would see how it feels and leave her alone already.

Thankfully, ever since the party, Taffyta hadn't done anything more worse than commenting that her outfit looked awful today.

Vanellope would get her back. She didn't know how, or when, but she would.

Vanellope sat at her desk and put her things inside. All the students were huddled in tight groups, talking excitedly. "What's going on?" she asked, joining Adorabeezle, Nougetsia and Torvald.

"Apparently Miss Mary is going to tell us something really important!" Torvald said. "We heard Professor Felix and her talking about it this morning in the hallway."

"Felix said he had big news too, for his fourth graders." Nougetsia added. "I wonder what it could be?"

Vanellope shrugged. "Maybe another field trip?"

Adorabeezle looked uncertain. "Possibly-but we never have gone on field trips with fourth graders before."

"I heard we're getting a skate park added to the playground!" Swizzle exclaimed, joining the group.

"Like_ that'll_ ever happen." Gloyd said, walking up and rolling his eyes. "Our school isn't cool enough for that."

They didn't have much longer to debate about it though, as the bell rang and Miss Mary entered promptly, causing them to break apart like Kit-Kats as they raced back to their seats.

"I have an important announcement to make, so you all need to listen up." She said, smiling as she always did.

The kids squirmed in their seats anxiously, each wanting to know the exciting news already.

"As you know, right now your mommies and daddies are getting ready to vote for our next president-it's very important! And just as appropriately, it is time for R. Moore Elementary's annual class elections!" She hushed them as immediately the whole class started whispering to each other excitedly. "A president will be chosen from each grade to represent us." She went on once they were all quiet. "You and the presidents from each of the other grades will work together to improve our school, and come up with ideas for parties, field days, and other fun events!"

Vanellope's interest level spiked. Being a president sounded like fun! Planning parties, being in charge, representing the class? That was stuff she could totally do!

"If you want to sign up to run, the list is right here in the front of the room!" Miss Mary said, taping it to the whiteboard. "You have today and tomorrow to sign up, and all month to campaign. At the end of November we'll have a class vote to see who wins!"

Everyone turned to talk to each other. "Are you going to run?" Vanellope asked Adorabeezle.

Adorabeezle shook her head. "There's no point in even trying." She said. "Everyone always votes for Taffyta."

They turned to look at the little blonde imp herself, who was already at the front of the room signing her name in big cursive. Looking around the room, Vanellope saw that nobody else was getting out of their seats. Was _anybody_ going to stand up to Taffyta? She threw Gloyd and Swizzle a look.

They shrugged sheepishly.

The other kids just sat there, giving each other knowing glances, already in defeat.

That was it.

Vanellope pushed her chair aside and stood up. Every eye in the room turned to look at her as she strode up to the front of the room confidently.

"Vanellope, are you trying to get yourself killed?" She heard Minty whisper to her as she passed by.

"Vanellope, it's not worth it!" Rancis added, looking frantic.

But Vanellope didn't care. She was sick of Taffyta controlling everyone like she was the queen.

It was time for a shift in power, and a big one at that. She marched up to the board and snatched the pen out of Taffyta's hand.

Taffyta just stood there in shock. This was the first time anyone had bothered to run against her. She was so surprised that she couldn't think of a threat or insult to throw at Vanellope.

Vanellope smiled and signed her name as well, right under Taffyta's.

"Well, well, well, it looks like this is going to be one exciting election!" Miss Mary said, clapping her hands together gleefully.

"You bet it is." Vanellope smiled, looking right at Taffyta. "May the best president win." She said, holding out her hand for a shake.

Taffyta clenched her fists and looked right back at her, ignoring her hand. "Trust me, I will." She said, her voice as strong as steel.

Game on.

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**A/N: No author's note for this chapter.**

**Oh wait.**

** Nevermind. **

**Anywho, can't take complete credit for the election joke. That came from my friend Jonah, who probably will never read this, but I can't steal and not feel bad for not crediting...so yeah...**


	35. Sugarcratican

**A/N: Happy Memorial day. **

**That's all I've got to say. Oh and also that if you're reading this on Memorial Day, like me, you probably need to get out more. **

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"So what's this I hear about a class election?" Ralph asked Vanellope, throwing some cans of alphabet soup in.

"Oh yeah." Vanellope said walking along side him. "Every grade is having an election to vote for a president of the grade, and _I _entered!" She smiled proudly.

"Who's your competition?" Ralph asked, pushing the shopping cart along.

Vanellope rolled her eyes. "Taffyta."

"That little sea monkey?" Ralph protested, looking mad. The morning after the party, Vanellope had sat down with Ralph and told him everything that had happened. Ralph was shocked. "Let's call the school!" He had exclaimed. "Get her expelled or something!"

"No!" Vanellope had said. "I can't! I don't want to be a tattletail!"

"Vanellope," He said, looking at her seriously. "There's a difference between being a tattletail and standing up for yourself."

"Please Ralph!" Vanellope had begged. "Just let me take care of this myself!"

Ralph had _very_ reluctantly agreed, but he still hated Taffyta with a passion.

"Yes." Vanellope said, giggling at his comment.

Ralph pushed the cart ahead forward. "You better win." He muttered. "You better kick that little gutter snipe right in her-"

He was quickly interrupted though when they turned the next aisle and came upon two men in the middle of a screaming match. Vanellope couldn't understand much of what they were saying, but she got the gist that it was about what all grown-ups were fighting about: the election.

"Aye, aye, aye." Ralph said, rubbing his temples as security was called over to break it up. "This has to be the worst time of year." He said, pushing past that aisle. "Everyone fighting all the time, you can't even go anywhere without making someone mad for one reason or another. Gotta love America, right?"

Vanellope shook her head. "Why does everyone have to get so mad about it anyways? Why can't they just have their opinion and keep it to themselves?"

"I don't know kid." Ralph sighed. "I don't know." He turned to her. "So, how 'bout it? Are you running as a Democrat or a Republican?"

Vanellope tapped her chin and thought. "Neither." She finally said.

"Neither?" Ralph said, raising and eyebrow.

"If-w_hen-_I'm elected, I'll make a new party-one that's so awesome nobody would fight about it because everyone would think it's so awesome!"

"Oh really?" Ralph smiled, picking out a can of Nesquik.

"Yes!" Vanellope said, nodding. "It'd be a party party. A party that was awesome, like a party. And it'd all be based on one principal-sugar!"

"Wow." Ralph said. "Is that so?"

She grinned as she continued. "I'd call it-Sugarcrats! Or Sugaricans! Or, oh, oh! _Sugarcraticans!" _She beamed, spreading her arms out as she said it. "Yeah! I'm a Sugarcratican!"

Ralph laughed. "Well, _President, _I hope that you will fair well in the election." He said, giving her a mock bow.

"Thank you Jeeves." Vanellope said back, bowing to him also. "And I plan to."


	36. Two Words

**A/N: Agh! I need to stop writing so much! I started writing another WIR story, and now I'm working on two different ones at the same time! Blurg! One thing at a time Hannah...but anyways, I won't post it until My Hero's done, just so it's not confusing or anything. But don't worry, I will write more in this universe, too. Thanks for reading! **

**VickyT36:** Yes, Since I have nothing BETTER to do, there'll be new chapters pretty much every/every other day :) And as you can tell, more than one chapter per day on occasion.

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Calhoun threw her necessities into her bag as she got ready to leave. It had been another normal, regular day, nothing that interesting had happened. At lunch, she had playground duty, something she usually despised, but she actually somewhat enjoyed it this time around. That little squirt, Vanellope had begged her to help her and her friends play jump rope.

She had initially refused. Calhoun did not spin jump ropes for 3rd Graders. No way. But then Vanellope busted out a pair of puppy dog eyes that would make even a chicken hawk go soft. "Fine." She had muttered. "Let's just get this over with."

But it wasn't so bad. The girls were really good, and it wasn't like it was hard work or anything. Vanellope told her that she was running for class president.

"Well, good luck." Calhoun had said, not really understanding why she was confiding in her.

"Thanks Sarge!" Vanellope said, saluting her and using the nickname she'd given her. Usually, Calhoun hated nicknames too, but it was a little kid, so what she going to do?

Calhoun locked up her room and headed towards the parking lot. On her way out, she accidentally bumped into Mary, who out of surprise dropped her stuff to the floor.

"Oh hey, here let me get that." Calhoun said, bending over to help.

Mary gave her a dark glare. "Thank you." She said stiffly.

Calhoun raised an eyebrow as she handed Mary back her papers. She was starting to get a feeling that Mary wasn't too fond of her. At that luncheon a while back, she couldn't help but notice that she kept giving her angry glances. Calhoun couldn't figure out what her problem was. She'd never done anything to her.

Had she?

Calhoun tried to think. Nothing came to mind...

She shrugged and shook her head, standing up. Maybe she just had issues. Everybody did, didn't they? "Well, ah, have a nice day." She muttered, walking out.

She threw her stuff into the back seat of her car and took off.

Calhoun was halfway home when she came upon Felix walking down the side of the road. At first she did a double-take. "What the-?" She muttered, looking out the window. Sure enough, it was him. She'd recognize that blue baseball hat and collared shirt anywhere.

_Ignore him, Calhoun, _she told herself, driving straight ahead. _He's not your priority. It's none of your business. _She gripped the steering wheel and tried to focus.

But...she couldn't.

Swearing under her breath, Calhoun made a U-Turn and headed back to where she had seen Felix walking. She pulled up beside him and rolled down the window. He looked up at her, surprised. "  
Need a lift?" She sighed.

"Yes, thank you m'am!" Felix exclaimed, hopping in. He sat down as gently and carefully as if he was riding in the president's limousine.

"Where do you need to go?" She asked, not looking at him.

"Just the car garage m'am." He said in that Southern accent of his. Normally, southern accents drew Calhoun crazy, and not the good kind of crazy, but his...it was okay.

"What happened to your car?" She asked after receiving brief instructions from Felix on how to get there.

"It just broke down." Felix sighed. "Usually, I would just fix it up myself, but I've just been so busy at work lately."

"So you've been _walking _every day?" Calhoun exclaimed incredulously. Calhoun was a tough person, she could stand a hike or two. But every day? Back and forth?

"Yes m'am." He nodded. "Sometimes I can catch a bus though."

Calhoun whistled. "You're a trooper, alright."

"Thank you m'am." Felix said, sounding pleased.

"I told you, call me Tamora." She said, thinking back to when they first met. "No more of this m'am business."

"Sorry m'a-"

Calhoun turned to glance at him, an amused smirk on her face.

"I mean!" Felix said, blushing. "Sorry...Tamora." He chuckled at himself. "I was just always taught to address a lady like that."

Tamora felt her face burn for some reason she didn't understand. _Keep it together, here, _she reminded herself. She put back on her neutral frown and stared straight ahead.

They rode in silence for the rest of the trip, until she finally pulled up in front of the auto repair shop. "Here you go." She said, unlocking the car door.

"Thank you ever so much!" Felix said, smiling at her in a way that made her feel...bubbly. She gritted her teeth. Calhoun didn't like feeling like this. It was vulnerable and immature.

"You're welcome." She said curtly.

Felix opened the door. Pausing, he turned to look back at her. "Tamora, I've got to tell you something."

"Hm?" She said, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

Felix took a deep breath before he spoke. "I...You...You just really are a dynamite gal." He said, smiling at her.

Calhoun froze. The blood running through her veins seemed to ice over. Her head started pounding, and she felt like a million shards of glass were piercing into her skin. A blinding light filled her eyes and she closed them, gripping the steering wheel so tight her knuckles were pure white. Memories she spent so long burying deep down came back, all because of two stupid words.

"Get out." She said, squeezing her eyes shut.

"What?" He exclaimed, so innocent, so naïve. "But...all I said was that you're a-"

"I said get out!" She cried, sounding on the verge of hysteria.

She couldn't look at him. She just couldn't. She heard him open the door wider and jump out onto the dirt driveway.

As soon as the door shut, she took off, leaving a giant, billowing cloud of dust behind. She drove and drove, not knowing where she going. Finally, she pulled over on the side of the road, collapsing over the dashboard.

Dynamite Gal.

Calhoun didn't want to remember. She didn't. She tried so hard to forget. But after years and years of trying, she could still see his face, the look in his eyes before it happened, the heart monitor, the smell of hospitals and blood.

Calhoun gripped her hair as she tried to block out the sound of someone screaming. It wouldn't stop. She covered her ears, but the screaming still continued. The person wouldn't stop screaming, and now they were crying too, right in her ears. It was horrible-it was the second worse sound she'd ever heard. It was a horrible wailing, the sound of a person in pain greater than anyone would ever know.

It took her moment to realize that it was her.


	37. The Story of Tamora Jean

**A/N: WARNING: This chapter gets a T rating for angst and other dark stuff. Just so you're prepared.**

* * *

Tamora Jean was a beautiful child. When she was born, everyone wouldn't stop talking about how adorable she was. Her hair was soft, long, and a remarkable blonde. She had the cutest freckles across her nose, and she had this..._glow_ to her. She never failed to make everyone smile. She would light up a room with just a single smile or laugh. Her eyes were a perfect mix of blue and silver-her mother said it was like looking into an ocean. She loved butterflies, and wanted to be a doctor.

She was born into a very well-off family. Her mother, Sarah, was a typical southern belle her father had met on a business trip. She had silky, buttermilk hair and sparkly green eyes that were brighter than emeralds. She was the sweetest person you could ever meet, always having friends over for dinner parties and get-togethers. She and Tamora loved to dance. She would pick Tamora up and spin her around the room while soothing jazz and swing played over their old-fashioned radio. And for those few moments, Tamora would feel like she was flying.

Her father worked for this large company where he made thousands and thousands of dollars per year. They lived in a big house in a nice neighborhood. Her favorite memory of her childhood was laying outside at night, watching the stars with her father. He would point out all the constellations and name them to her. One night, he even gave her her own star. "That one's yours." He whispered into her ear. "Make a wish on it, and it's sure to come true."

Tamora wished on that star, every night. She would wish for things that children wished for, like new bikes and dolls, but she also wished that she'd always have her family, that they'd stay together forever, and be happy.

Another night, her father lay with her and showed her how to find the north star. "See that?" He'd said. "That's the north star. And what's so wonderful about it is that it's always there, the same star. So no matter where we are, together or apart, we'll be seeing the same one. And no matter where you are, you'll always be able to find me."

Life was perfect.

Until that horrible day. That horrible, awful day when the stars went out, and Tamora stopped smiling.

Tamora was walking home from school when she heard sirens. She looked behind her as she saw police cars rushing by. They turned the corner and went down her street. Curious, she ran ahead, and was surprised to see they were at _her _house.

She saw two police men get out of the car and walk up to her front door. They rang the doorbell and Tamora's mother walked out to greet them. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but it didn't look good.

Suddenly, her mother put her hand over her mouth. She let out a wail and shook her head. "No!" She screamed. "No! Not him!" She fell to the ground, sobbing and sobbing. "No!" she kept screaming. "No!"

Tamora ran up. "Mommy?" She exclaimed, looking terrified. "Mommy, what's wrong?"

Her mother hadn't answered. She just cried and cried.

That's when the two police men had taken her aside and told her.

Her father was dead.

It was all over the news. A big commercial airliner had gone down, right in the middle of the ocean. They'd found the bodies floating in the water. No survivors.

He had just been going to a business meeting. Just for three days. He said he'd be back. But now he never would. Tamora didn't understand. How could someone be here one minute, and then gone the next? It didn't make any sense.

After the press died down, Sarah and Tamora fell to hard times. Without her father working, they had no income. They soon had to give up their nice, fancy house and move to a smaller house, a much smaller one. It was a tiny apartment with only two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a tiny kitchen. They had to sell off all their nice things, all the things Tamora had grown up with, that she loved. She still didn't understand.

She was only six.

Years passed like that, with the two of them living off of welfare, struggling to get by in that tiny little apartment.

Then Sarah met Ron.

When Sarah first brought Ron over to dinner, Tamora didn't like him. Why should her mother be hanging around with other men? All she needed was her. They were perfectly fine on their own. Just Sarah and Tamora. They didn't need anyone else.

But then Ron started coming over more and more. And then Sarah said they were getting married. Tamora had cried. She'd screamed. "Don't you love Dad anymore?" She'd sobbed.

"Of course I do!" Her mother had said, holding her even as she tried to run away. "But don't you think your father would want me to be happy?"

"We are happy!" She'd replied. "We were perfectly happy without Ron! We don't need him!"

But her mother didn't listen.

They married the following spring.

She was only eleven.

Once they were married, Ron moved them out that small apartment and into a bigger one. It wasn't nearly as big as their old house, but it was a step up.

Tamora still didn't like it, but her mother was happier, which made her happier.

But things didn't stay perfect forever. One night Ron came in, stumbling and shouting. Tamora was in her room working on homework. She heard her mother go out to yell at him. Suddenly, it escalated, and they were both screaming and shouting. She heard things breaking, and smashing.

It went on like this for days. Then days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. They would fight constantly. There was barely a night when Tamora didn't fall asleep to the sounds of fighting, beating, and cursing. Her mother started wearing long sleeved shirts all the time. One night, her mother came into her room with a black eye.

"Mom?" Tamora had said, running over to her. Her mother had sat in front of her closet, crying into her knees. "Mom, you can't let him do this to you!" She had exclaimed, sitting down beside her. "We have to get away!"

"I can't!" Her mother had said, shaking. "If I do we'll have no where else to go! He has all the money! If I leave him we'll be on the streets!"

So they stayed. More nights passed. More screaming, crying, and pain. Sometimes neighbors would call the police, but Ron would always make up some story and they would leave. Nothing changed.

Until one day, when Tamora came home from school. "Mom?" She called. The house was silent. "Mom, where are you?" She searched over the whole house.

Finally she found her.

Sarah was in her room lying in bed, her hair spread out around her like an angel. She was wearing the clothes from the night before, her body covered in bruises and marks. Lying beside her was an empty bottle of pills, and her eyes stared open, unblinking, straight ahead, looking at the ceiling that she could not see.

She was only fourteen.

That day was the day Tamora shut down. She chopped off her beautiful long hair and painted her eyelids with black. She threw away her bright sunny dresses and replaced them with dark pants and shirts. She stopped wishing on stars. She never danced again.

Even with her mother gone, Ron didn't get any better. In fact, he just got worse. All the previous aggression he had with her mother, he began to take out on Tamora. Except Tamora wasn't like her mother. She fought back. She wasn't going to go out the same way.

So every night they'd fight. He'd always win, but that never stopped Tamora from trying.

Finally one night, the police came. They'd heard the screaming and shouting and walked in to find Ron pinning Tamora against the wall, his hand on her throat.

They handcuffed him, and Tamora never saw him again.

She was nineteen.

Now all of her family was gone. She never had met her grandparents, and she didn't have any aunts or uncles. She got a job working at the local gas station, and moved into another small apartment.

She worked there for a while, and after a long period of time, things started looking up.

Then she met Brad.

He walked into the station one day, placing a doughnut and a coffee on the counter in front of her.

It was love at first sight-if those kinds of things even existed. Tamora pushed it down. She wasn't going to let another person in, just to leave again. But then Brad kept coming back. He would come visit her every day, even if he didn't need gas, even if he wasn't going to buy anything.

And eventually, she couldn't help it-she fell for him. Soon he was asking her to dinner Friday night, and then Friday night became Sunday, and Monday, and Thursday.

They were inseparable.

Brad made Tamora smile again. He made he laugh. He made her see that she could be loved again.

When he put his hand in hers, it was a perfect fit. When he kissed her, it was like she was being made alive again. They dated for 6 months before Brad proposed. She said yes.

It was at a concert of one of their favorite bands, and he'd brought her up onstage in front of everyone and asked her. The whole stadium had roared as he slipped the ring on her finger. And even though Tamora knew there were hundreds of people watching, in that moment she felt like they were the only two people in the world.

They rode home from that night giddy, laughing like the sappy pair of lovebirds that they were. Tamora had sat in the front seat of his car, staring at the ring. It sparkled and twinkled up at her happily.

"You do like it?" Brad had asked from the seat next to her.

"Of course I do!" Tamora had exclaimed. "How could I not? It's perfect!"

Brad let out a sigh of relief. "Good, 'cause I spent a whole hour in that dang jewelry store. But when I saw that one, I knew right away-that was the one for you." He smiled at her and took her hand in his, stroking his thumb over the back of her hand.

Tamora had sighed. She hadn't been this content in ages. "You're perfect, you know that?" She said, turning to look at him.

"Well, you'll always be my dynamite gal." He said back, smiling at her with pure love.

She'd rolled her eyes at his compliment. "Stop it." She'd said. "You're making me-"

The next seconds went by as if Tamora was watching it from a screen. A bright light suddenly came on Brad's side of the car. It was so blinding, so white, so bright, that she couldn't see a thing. A loud roar of a car engine mixed with the blaring honk of cars filled her ears. She went to cover them as she heard a loud scream. A sudden impact hit the side of the car with the greatest force she'd ever felt in her life. It felt like someone was taking a wrecking ball and slamming it into her side. There was the shattering of glass, and she cried out as it flew against her face. She heard a loud explosion and the taste of blood filled her mouth.

And then, the world went black.

_Beep, beep, beep. _

She heard soft sounds flying in and out of her ears that she assumed were some sort of language. She couldn't understand it though, it was like she was sitting in the bottom of the pool trying to hear what the people were saying from above.

_Beep, beep, beep. _

Her head felt so heavy. She tired to lift it but couldn't. Starting to feel frightened, she tried to open her eyes.

But her eyelids wouldn't move. It was as if someone had glued them together. She tried to scream, but her lips wouldn't move either. Her arms and legs felt as heavy as her head. With nothing else to do, she slowly fell back into sedation.

_Beep, beep, beep. _

Her eyes opened. She was in a hospital room, lying in a bed. Wires were attached to her head and a heart monitor was running next to her. There was a needle sticking in her arm that was injecting some sort of clear liquid into her.

"Good, you're awake." A nurse said, leaning over her.

"Wh-where am I?" She'd asked, her voice sounding as dry as a desert.

"You're at the St. Matthews Hospital miss." The nurse said, sitting her up and giving her a glass of water.

She took it and drank it. "Where's Brad?" She asked. "I need to see him."

The nurse had looked away uncomfortably. "I'll send the doctor in." She said, walking out.

Tamora sighed in frustration.

She saw the nurse talking with a man in a white coat out in the hallway. After a few minutes, the doctor walked in, sitting in a chair beside her bed. "I'm glad to see you're doing so well, Tamora." He said, folding his hands together in his lap.

"Where is Brad?" Tamora had said roughly, not wanting to beat around the bush. "I need to see my _fiancé_ ."

The doctor had sighed. "Tamora, there's something you must understand. The accident you were in was very serious, you're lucky you didn't die."

Tamora started to shut down. This couldn't be where this was going. She knew what was coming. "No." She'd whispered. "No."

"And you've made an excellent recovery, unfortunately, the fact of the matter is..." He trailed off, obviously dreading telling her what he was about to say.

"You were the only one to survive."

She was twenty-four.

She wanted to die. She wanted to close her eyes and never wake up. Why was she alive? Why didn't that crash take her life too, not just his? She had nothing to live for. So why was she still here ? She would have tried. She thought about it. There were plenty of bridges, ropes, lakes...

But then she thought back to her mother. Did she really want to die like she had? To just give up because she felt like she had no other option?

No.

So she she kept fighting. She obviously was meant to stay on this earth, even if she was alone, even if she felt hopeless. And that's what kept her going.

She left town and spent the next years changing jobs, never staying in one place for too long. She took some therapy here and there. She took every emotion she kept bottled up inside and shoved them deep into the smallest corners of her heart, then covered it with barbed wire, until she was sure that no one would get in.

Then she'd seen an add at a school. They were hiring a temporary teacher for PE classes. At fist she'd just passed it by-she didn't want to work with kids.

But soon, she realized it was that, or nothing. She'd called them up and applied, and by some great miracle, she was accepted.

"You start on Tuesday!" The principal said over the phone. "I'll have someone meet you the the lobby at 7:00."

So she'd gone. She got ready Tuesday morning, made herself look presentable, got lost, but finally got there.

When she walked in, it was empty except for a this short guy sitting on a bench. He was wearing a blue baseball hat and a light blue-buttoned up shirt.

"Sorry I'm late." She'd said, hoping he wasn't upset. "I'm still not used to getting around this place."

"That's quite alright m'am." He said, looking up at her. "All the different streets can be a little-" Then he'd paused, not saying anything.

Tamora was puzzled. What, did he run out of batteries or something? "Um, you okay there short stack?" She asked, waving her hand in front of him. She didn't have time for games.

His faced turned red and he blushed. "Yes, of course m'am."

She noted that he spoke with a southern accent and had a sort of baby face. Not in a bad way, it was just something she wasn't used to. It was the m'am that threw her off. "You don't have to call me m'am." She'd said. "The name's Tamora, Tamora Calhoun."

She noticed that he kept looking at her all weird-like. Like he was _happy _to see her. He had this weird grin on his face and he seemed to be glowing. She swore she heard him give off a tiny sigh.

Okay then.

"So…ah, aren't you supposed to show me around or something?" She said, looking around the lobby.

"Ah, yes!" the man said, "Right this way, just follow me!"

She nodded. "What did you say your name was?" She asked as he lead her down the hallway.

"Felix." He said, sounding all dopey again. "Felix Parcell."

And even though she still felt dead inside, even though she hadn't smiled in 8 years, little did she know that little Felix Parcell was going to save her.

Because in time, she would learn that he was the reason she hadn't died that day. He was her new reason for living

She was thirty-two.


	38. Jolly Ranchers

The election was quickly becoming the talk of the third grade. The day after they'd signed up, Taffyta was already at school passing out buttons with her name on them. "Vote for Taffyta!" her campaign manager, aka Candlehead, said, handing out the pink object with a smile.

"Stay sweet!" Taffyta added.

Vanellope frowned. "I didn't know this was going to be so..._serious_!" She said.

"It's only because Taffyta has someone to run against for once." Rancis explained. "So she's trying to show off and stuff."

"You guys are going to vote for me, right?" Vanellope asked, looking at them.

"Of course!" Swizzle exclaimed.

"Totally!" Gloyd nodded. They all turned to Rancis, who was silent.

"Rancis!" They cried, glaring at him.

"I'm sorry!" He protested, his cheeks turning red. "But you guys are both my friends! I don't know how to chose between you!"

"How can you be friends with Taffyta?" Swizzle scowled, crossing his arms. "She such a drama queen."

Rancis shrugged, looking embarrassed. "Look, I don't want to be mean to either one of you guys. I don't know who I'm going to vote for yet."

So they left it at that.

But Vanellope knew she had to pick up the pace. A couple days later, she came to school with cookies that Ralph had helped her make. Ralph was not the best baker. They'd burned a whole batch and had to throw it away, but luckily there still were some good ones.

This got kids' attention. After all, nothing makes people like you more quickly than giving them free food. "Vote for Vanellope!" She called, passing them out as kids passed by.

"Trust me, I will!" Gloyd said through a mouthful of cookies as Swizzle stuffed more down his pockets.

Unlike the boys however, the girls were not as easily swayed. A lot of the girls had confided in her that they weren't going to vote for Vanellope, because they were worried about what Taffyta would do to them when she found out. This was very frustrating.

"C'mon guys!" Vanellope pleaded with them. "You can't be scared of Taffyta! If she wins, she'll boss us around forever!"

But they'd just looked at each other nervously. "Taffyta can be really scary when she's mad." Jubileena mumbled.

"Well, we need to change that!" Vanellope exclaimed, trying to make them understand. "If we always do what Taffyta says, then she's always going to have power over us! And she'll never stop being mean! We need to fight the power! Stick it to the man! Now who's with me?!"

Silence.

Vanellope sighed. This was going to take some work.

Another day, Vanellope came in with a bunch of posters she'd made. Ralph had helped her make them too. They were on bright colorful paper and had lots of glitter and stickers on them, two of Vanellope's favorite crafting tools.

Ralph drove her to school so she could get there before all the other kids. Vanellope walked around with her posters and a roll of duct-tape, hanging them all over the place. She tried to hang one up outside the gym, but as she was so small, she couldn't reach. Jumping up and down, she tried and tried again with no avail.

Thankfully, Coach Calhoun was walking in at the moment, and helped her. "There you go soldier." She said, taping it up.

"Thanks Sarge!" Vanellope said, saluting her as she ran off.

The day afterwords, Taffyta had shown up with _her _posters-which she hung right next to Vanellope's.

"What?" Taffyta smirked when she saw Vanellope scowling up at them. "You're not the only one who's allowed to hang things up."

"Well, you didn't have to put them all right next to mine." Vanellope muttered, folding her arms.

"You're right, I didn't have to-I chose to!" Taffyta said with a laugh. "C'mon Candlehead, let's go-we have a campaign to win!"

Candlehead nodded and smiled, walking behind Taffyta. "I made the posters!" She mouthed to Vanellope as she passed, looking pleased as can be.

"Candlehead!" Taffyta snapped, looking over her shoulder. "Don't fraternize with the _enemy_."

Vanellope just rolled her eyes.

And so the days continued like this. Taffyta and Vanellope spent their days schmoozing with the students, each refusing to give up. It all came down to whether people were going to vote for Taffyta out of fear, or Vanellope because they actually liked her. Vanellope found herself doing crazy things just so she could confirm people's vote. Minty and Torvald said they would vote for Vanellope if she could jump double-dutch. When Vanellope asked why, they'd just said that they wanted to see someone do it in real-life, since neither one of them had been able to achieve it.

So Vanellope spent the rest of the night watching YouTube videos on how to jump double-dutch. When she'd explained to Ralph what she was doing, he'd just shaken his head and walked off, muttering something about "kids these days."

She spent all night practicing it until finally got it down. Minty and Torvald were so impressed, they said Vanellope could have their votes for sure.

Gloyd and Swizzle said they would vote for her if she brought them more cookies.

"But I thought you already said you were going to!" Vanellope exclaimed.

"Yes, but that was before you brought those cookies." Swizzle said, rubbing his belly. "They were amazing."

"Fine!" She huffed. So she'd spent that night making enough cookies so that she'd have one for each day until the election. "Why are boys such fatties?" She muttered, causing Ralph to bust out laughing.

Taffyta was using her arsenal too. "Vote for me, and you'll be invited over to my after-party sleepover!" She promised the girls. "There'll be makeovers, dancing, movies, and we can go in my indoor pool!"

"You have an _indoor pool?" _They exclaimed, their mouths hanging open in shock.

"And a hot tub." Taffyta smirked, examining her nails.

Vanellope's heart sank. How was she going to compete with that? She didn't have an indoor pool! Unless you counted the bathtub. She was starting to get desperate. She offered to do kids' homework for them if they voted her her. She baked more cookies. She did any dare offered, like Citrusella's dare for her to eat a Jolly Rancher that'd fallen on the ground. The one person she still couldn't convince though, was Rancis.

"Hey buddy!" She said, coming up from behind and nudging him. They were in the hot lunch line, waiting to get their food.

"I know what you're going to talk to me about." Rancis said, giving her a knowing smirk. "I heard you're going around doing all this crazy stuff, just to get votes. Is it true that you ate that Jolly Rancher that's been left on the floor since September?"

"Maybe." Vanellope said, gagging inwardly on the taste of dust and hair.

Rancis smiled. "Well, the answer is still the same." He said, turning his back to her.

Vanellope let out a huff of air, blowing her bangs away. "Please Rancis! What it comes down to a tie, and you're the deciding voter? I need you on my side!"

He said nothing and instead looked down at the ground, scuffing the marble floor with the heel of his foot.

"I can do stuff for you!" She tried, sticking her head around his shoulder. "Like homework, or a dare, I'll even give you stuff! I got this whole pack of gum yesterday, and you can have the whole thing!"

Rancis raised his eyebrows. "You really want to win, don't you?"

She nodded.

"Why?"

Vanellope paused. "Well, partly because being president sounds like fun, and I think I'd be really good at it. And also partly because I'm sick of Taffyta being so mean to everyone, mainly me. I want to show her that she's not queen of the world."

Rancis stood there, not looking at her, just thinking. Vanellope could tell he was going through a big internal battle at the moment. Should he vote for a person who would treat everyone fairly, or his best friend since preschool?

"I'll think about it." He finally said.

Vanellope was disappointed, but enlightened at the same time. She could tell she was wearing him down.

Soon, it was the last day of school before Thanksgiving break. Once they came back, they'd have one more day, and then it'd be time to vote. Taffyta spent the day handing out more buttons, and Vanellope giving away cookies.

But eventually, they'd done all they could do. The students packed up their stuff and got on their buses to go home. "Have a good Thanksgiving break!" Taffyta said as Vanellope got off, sitting with Candlehead.

"Not?" Candlehead said, causing the two to laugh.

"Same to you Taffyta." Vanellope said. Secretly, Vanellope was very happy she had Thanksgiving to relax. She could see why Ralph was always talking about how stressful elections were. At the moment, she wanted nothing more than to curl up in her bed and sleep. For a year.

_Imagine if I was running for the _real _president, _she thought to herself, terrified at just thinking about it. _Then I'd have to do favors for everyone! I'd have to eat like, a bazillion pieces of nasty floor-candy! _She shuddered, and walked through the front door.

"Hey kid!" Ralph said from the kitchen. "I'm home early!"

"Ralph!" Vanellope cried, running up to give him a hug.

"So how's the election going?" Ralph said. He was standing by the stove baking a frozen pizza, and wearing one of the cheesy aprons that said "Kiss the Cook."

"I don't know." Vanellope sighed. She walked over to sit at one of the dining chairs. "Either one of us could win, I guess. But I think Taffyta will-she said that if people vote for her she'll have them over for a sleepover and they can go in her indoor pool."

"They shouldn't vote for her just because of that." Ralph muttered, opening the oven door to take a peek.

"I know! But they'd don't realize that!" Vanellope sighed, putting her face down on the table.

"Well, I know you'll do great!" Ralph said, patting her on the head. "And even if you don't win, you're always a winner to me!"

"Gee, thanks." Vanellope muttered. "Ralph, I know that's grown-up code for, 'I'm pretty sure you're not going to win'."

"No it isn't!" Ralph objected, turning red. "Anyways, I got you something."

Vanellope lifted her head to see Ralph digging through his work bag.

"Ah ha!" He said, pulling something out. He tossed it to her. "I picked this up on my way home, I know how much you love candy.

Vanellope took one at the bag, threw it in the air, and ran away, screaming. "No way am I eating that!" She exclaimed, slamming her bedroom door.

"What'd I do?" Ralph said, scratching his head. "It's just Jolly Ranchers!"


	39. Anything

**A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the reviews! **

**Prosper-the-XVII: **I'm glad you like the story! * eats cookie * And also A+ for quoting Potter Puppet Pals. And to answer your question, the reason she didn't die is because of fortune and fate and all that other mushy stuff. It would be cool if Felix had literally helped her out somehow, but at that time she was in another town/state and whatnot.

**Dalek: **Thank you so much for your reviews, as always! :) * cyberhug *

**10isboy: ***gets out drum set* Ba dum tiss

* * *

Felix waited outside in the parking lot, pacing back and forth. He twisted is hat in his hands as he sighed nervously. He ran one hand through his hair. He just still couldn't believe how...how stupid he'd been! He was so frustrated, he didn't even bother to forgive his potty mouth.

What had he'd done? Felix thought over that last moment with her over and over again-but he couldn't think of anything. All he'd said was that she was a dynamite gal! Why would that make her upset? It was a compliment!

Ever since that day, she hadn't talked to him. He'd go down to her office, but the door would be locked. He'd look for her in the staffroom, she wouldn't be there. He'd try to catch her after work, but she'd already have left.

But that was all going to change today. He'd shoved all his papers into his bag and ran out the front double doors. He wasn't going to miss her again-especially with today being the last day before Thanksgiving break.

All he wanted was to apologize. That's all. But she was avoiding him-he knew it! He'd practiced everything he was going to say. Now he just had to focus on making sure the words came out of his mouth.

He jumped in surprise as he saw Tamora walk out the front doors. "Excuse me!" He called, running up to her. "M'am? Tamora? I need to talk to you!"

"I'm busy." She said, not looking at him as she headed towards her car.

"Well, it'll only take minute!" Felix protested, jogging behind her. "I just need to tell you something!"

"I don't have time." She said, reaching her car.

"Please Tamora, just give me a second!" He pleaded.

"I can't Fix-It." She said, still not looking at him as she put her key in the door. "You should just leave."

"But all I need is-"

"Short-stack, I told you-"

"M'am!" Felix said in his best authoritative voice. It surprised both of them, so much so that Tamora paused, but still didn't turn around. "I don't mean to raise my voice, but I need you to listen to me!" He said, standing his ground.

She let off a small sigh and turned to look over her shoulder at him, an unreadable expression on her face.

"I'm...I'm sorry about what happened before." Felix stammered, suddenly nervous. "I didn't mean to offend you! I just-I just wanted to..." He scowled to himself. So much for practicing everything. She probably thought he was making a fool of himself. "I just want to make you happy!" He finally said. "And I failed! And I'm sorry!"

"Look-" She began.

"No! I mean it!" Felix protested. "I'd do anything! I'd...I'd fix all your stuff-any time you want! Like if your refrigerator broke down in the middle of the night, I'd come right over!"

"I don't need-"

"Or, or, actually better things than that!" Felix said, starting to babble. "I'd come over and make you dinner-any night you wanted! Or we could go out to dinner, if you wanted that instead! Or not, if that would make you feel too uncomfortable. We could order in! Or I could just bring you food and slip it under the door-only that wouldn't work because the food wouldn't fit..."

"Hey, you don't-" she said, trying to bring him back to sanity.

"If you ever got sick, I could substitute for your class!" He went on, not even paying attention any more. "Or I could bring you soup! Any kind-chicken, potato, tomato, green bean-whatever you wanted! Or some movies! I could bring you movies! Or books, if you wanted to read something."

"That's nice of you pint-sized, but-"

"I'd do anything for you!" He said. "I'd...I'd clean the whole school! I'd drink coffee without ice! I'd sell my hats! I'd never eat another pie again! I'd-"

"Felix!" Tamora finally exclaimed, resting her hand on his shoulder.

That shut him up.

She had this funny look on her face that made her look as if she wanted to tell him something, but she shook it off and said instead, "Look, I don't need you to do anything for me-okay? Just calm down."

Felix nodded.

"I'm not mad at you. I-I just...it's a long story, okay?" She said, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. "It's not your fault-you couldn't have known. Don't feel bad."

Felix looked up at her questionably. "What happened?" He asked softly.

"I don't want to talk about it." She muttered, taking her hand off his shoulder and sitting down on the hard pavement.

Felix bit his lip, not wanting to push her again. "Can you ever tell me?" He asked, looking at her nervously and sitting down in front of her.

She was silent for a long time. She looked cold as the chilly November breeze blew against her skin.

Felix wanted to give his jacket to her, but looking at it, he realized it was so small compared to her and it wouldn't make that much of a difference. But it was the thought that counted, right? Leaning forward, he draped it around her shoulders, awarding himself a small smile from her.

"Maybe...just not now." She said, looking up at him.

"Okay." Felix whispered, for some reason unbeknownst to him. "Well, don't feel like you have to rush. Whenever you want to talk, you can always call me, or come find me."

"Thank you." She said, the corner of her mouth going up slightly.

Felix suddenly realized that they were sitting very close to each other. If he leaned just a few inches forward, their noses would be touching. His cheeks turned pink. Looking closely at her, he realized that she had light freckles across her nose. They looked perfect on her.

He swallowed slowly as their eyes met. She had such pretty eyes. Felix suddenly felt as if he was floating, like he was weightless. His heart rate sped up as he realized she was leaning closer to him. His head immediately went blank and his arms and legs seemed to possess a mind of their own as he leaned in and-

"Felix! What are you doing?" A shrill voice said, interrupting them.

The pair separated at once, moving away as if they'd been electrocuted. Tamora sat up a little too quickly, slamming her head into the side view mirror. Felix looked up to see Mary staring at him, alarmed, her car parked next to Tamora's.

"I-uh...um, hello Mary." Felix said weakly, smiling the best he could at her. His already pink cheeks turned even redder.

"Well, it was good seeing you." Tamora said, her cheeks equally as red. She took the jacket off her shoulders and handed it back to Felix. Rubbing the back of her head, she opened her car door and got in. "Happy Thanksgiving," she said, shutting the door.

"Yeah." Felix murmured dreamily.

"Hmph." Mary huffed as Tamora drove away. She went on to say something negative, but Felix didn't hear her. His mind was racing at a million miles a minute. What had just happened? Were they really about to-

He shook his head. No way. He must have imagined it. There was probably dirt or something on his face, and she was leaning forward to wipe it off. Yeah, that was it.

But as much as he repeated that in his head, his mind couldn't help but wander. What if something was going to happen? What if that wasn't a mistake? What if...

"Don't you agree Felix?" Mary finished, interrupting his thoughts.

"What?" Felix said, coming back down to earth. "Oh, ah, yes!" He said, deciding to just agree with whatever she said. Standing up, he smiled and went to give her a big hug. "Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Mary!" He said, an ecstatic look on his face.

"Y-you too Felix." Mary said, patting him on the back, a shocked look on her face.

Then Felix walked off whistling with a bounce in his step, leaving Mary to only gape and wonder.


	40. The Turkey Strikes Back

**A/N: Sorry I didn't post this yesterday. I was reading a bunch of other fanfics and making my Tumblr pretty. Oh, and I actually went out and did things like a normal human. **

**CuteGirl: **I love your whole ring idea, I was planning on writing a short story from this universe where it's Valentine's Day, and I would love to plug that in!  
**Dalek: * **Ohm nom noms pie *

**Edger230: **I know right? I like "Harry's Nightmares" best ;)

* * *

Ralph sighed and scratched his head. They might as well have written these instructions in Greek or Latin. Because even English, he wasn't getting a single word of this. What the heck did "basting the turkey" mean? What was basting? And what was a turkey thermometer? Did those even exist?

He had the urge to just dump the turkey and instead make a couple ham sandwiches. But today was Vanellope's first real Thanksgiving, and he wanted to make it special. Back at the orphanage, she had explained, they never celebrated any holidays, if they were lucky they just would get a pair of socks from charities at Christmastime.

So this also was her first real holiday too. Well, besides Halloween. And to top it all off, Felix was coming over, and Ralph didn't want to look like an idiot in front of him. And what was Thanksgiving without a Turkey? And of course he couldn't forget all the other things like the stuffing, cranberry sauce, potatoes...

Ralph let out an hopeless moan. He could barely make toast! It always just came out like regular bread or burned to a crisp. And now he was trying to make a whole meal? He lowered his head and beat it against the counter.

There was the soft sounds of footsteps padding down the stairs, and Ralph look up to see Vanellope coming down, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Her hair hung around her shoulders messily, and she was still wearing her mint-green pajamas that had pictures of candy all over them. "Morning Stinkbrain." She said, sitting at one of the stools that sat on the opposite side of the counter.

"Morning Vanellope!" Ralph said, forcing a smile onto his face. "How are you? I'm good! Did you sleep well? I know I did! Really? That's good! Want some cereal?"

Vanellope looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Uh...are you okay?" She asked, smirking as Ralph grabbed a box of cereal, his hands shaking.

"Y-yeah!" Ralph said. "W-why w-would you ask that?" He tried to smile at her, but it came out as more of a grimace.

"Um." Vanellope said. She looked over and saw the frozen bird on the counter. "Ooh! Is that the turkey?" She exclaimed, rising up to stand on her stool. "Sweet Mother of Monkey Milk-it's perfect!" She squealed.

"It's not even cooked yet." Ralph said weakly.

"So what?" Vanellope said, smiling up at him. "I can already tell that this is going to be the bestest Thanksgiving this world has ever seen!" She let out a cry of glee and ran all around the room, dancing and cheering.

Ralph tried to smile, he really did, but all he could feel was his heart slowly sinking into his bowels. As if he wasn't already stressed out, now he had to make today the best Thanksgiving in the world? "It sure will be!" He mumbled.

Vanellope gave him a hug and went to watch the big parade on TV.

Ralph pushed his sleeves up and put his game face on. He wasn't going to let her down.

It was go time.

* * *

About an hour and 20 YouTube and articles later, Ralph pushed the turkey into the oven. "Whew!" He said, wiping his forehead. "That was easy." Sort of.

Vanellope was dressed by now, she was wearing this cute navy dress with a mint-green shirt underneath. Ralph was quickly learning that mint-green was her favorite color. She'd brushed her hair out and tied it up with another ribbon. She was currently re-attempting to build that LEGO set Ralph had brought her months before. "Where are the words?" She cried dramatically.

Ralph looked at the clock. It was already 11:30. Felix would be here in 30 minutes. "I'm going to go get ready quick." Ralph said.

"Okay." Vanellope said as she incorrectly stuck more bricks together.

By the time Ralph showered and clean up, it was already noon.

"Holy Skittles!" Vanellope exclaimed as he came down the stairs. "What happened to _you?" _

"What?" Ralph said, his cheeks turning red. "You don't like it?" He was wearing his best slacks and a pressed maroon shirt.

"It's just that...you don't look like someone who just crawled out of the woods, for once." Vanellope said with a devilish grin.

"Ha ha." Ralph said, walking over and giving her a noogie. "Very funny. I could say the same to you, you know."

"Yeah, but then you'd be lying." Vanellope said, moving away and laughing.

Just then, the door bell rang.

"That'll be Felix." Ralph said, getting up.

Sure enough, it was. Felix stood there in a cozy-looking blue sweater, his trademark blue cap on his head and an enraptured smile on his face. He was holding a large pumpkin pie in his hands, something he most likely made himself. "Hello!" He said.

"Felix, so glad you're here!" Ralph said. "Come in!"

Felix set the pie down on the counter as he and Vanellope said their hellos. "So, do you need any help with the food?" Felix asked.

"Maybe...a little." Ralph said, looking embarrassed. But hey, he'd rather admit that he needed help than wreck the whole meal.

So Felix and him got to work. They mashed the potatoes (with some eager assistance from Vanellope), made the stuffing, and got the cranberry sauce out of the can (with much protest from Felix, who said real foods didn't come in cans, but Ralph had just pointed out that if Felix didn't eat it there'd just be more for him).

Felix and Vanellope even put a nice tablecloth on the table, which made Ralph wonder where the heck they got it from. They dug through his cabinets and got out the cheapo, plastic, green wine glasses Ralph had gotten at the dollar store a long time ago, and filled them with fruit punch. While they were cooking, Vanellope had "finished" making the LEGO set.

"What's this?" Ralph asked, gesturing to the big block structure in the center of the table.

"I couldn't figure out how to make it right so I made a rock!" Vanellope explained, looking proud. It looked like she'd taken all the yellow, blue, and red bricks she could and fit them together so they formed a colorful mass.

Ralph sighed and shrugged. As weird as it was, he kind of liked it.

They all sat down around the table, pleased with how well everything had gone. "Alright." Ralph said, rubbing his hands together.

"I feel like we're missing something." Felix said, tapping his chin.

The three looked all around but they couldn't think of anything. So instead, they all joined hands. Felix had to stretch his short little arms to reach both Ralph and Vanellope, but he managed. Felix blessed the food and then they all went around the table and said what they were thankful for.

"I'm just so happy that I could be here today with you two." Felix said, smiling at the pair of them. "And that we have good food, and a home, and each other! I'm thankful for this day and I hope we'll have many, many more!"

Ralph and Vanellope nodded, clapping for his well-given speech.

"Oh, and I also hope that my family back in Georgia are having a good Thanksgiving too, since their pigs have gone crazy and started attacking the farm." Felix added.

"What?" Vanellope said.

"Okay, I guess it's my turn then." Ralph said, folding his hands in his lap. He realized that this was his first real Thanksgiving in...forever maybe. Usually it would just consist of him sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and watching sports. If he was feeling adventurous he would go out and get some fried chicken from a fast food place. But to have a whole meal, with a family? The idea was mind-blowing to him.

That made him think of another astonishing fact. He had a family. For the first time in his life, he was with _family_. He had Vanellope and Felix, a home, and this wonderful meal on his table. What more could he be thankful for?

"Well..." He said, not knowing how to sum that all up in a couple sentences. "I'm just thankful for both of you. You two are the greatest people I know, and...I'm just glad that we can sit here today, and enjoy this amazing food, that I will very much enjoy eating."

Vanellope and Felix laughed.

"Okay, okay, my turn!" Vanellope exclaimed, bouncing in her seat. She closed her eyes and folded her hands. "I'm so very much thankful for so many bazillion things, like my new house, and burgers, and my new clothes, and 3-D movies, and roller coasters, and video games, and s'mores, and-"

"I think we get the point Vanellope." Ralph said with a smile.

"Shush!" Vanellope said, opening one eye and pointing a finger at him. "I'm not done yet!" She huffed and got back in composition. "Now where was I? Oh yeah, and I'm thankful for giant milkshakes, and my edu-ma-cation-"

"Education." Ralph grinned.

"And lollipops, and soda, but not seaweed, and I'm happy there's race cars, and demolition experts, and red buttons, and band-aids, and baby daddies, and apples, and haunted houses, and leaves, and my friends, but most of all-" She paused and took a deep breath. "I'm thankful for Ralph and Felix, because I love them, even when they're weird."

"Gee, thanks." Ralph said, sarcastically. But he smiled happily at her all the same.

"That was great Vanellope!" Felix commented, looking touched.

"Yes, now let's eat!" Ralph said. "I'm dying over here!"

They all were about to dig in when Vanellope sniffed her nose in the air. "What is that smell?" She asked, her face scrunching up.

Ralph looked up. He smelt it too. It was like something was-

With a loud exclamation and word he probably shouldn't have said (especially with Vanellope and Felix around), Ralph ran up from the table and rushed to the oven, opening the door. Smoke billowed out and soon the smoke detector went off, the blaring beeping noise filling the kitchen.

Felix let out something that sounded like "Oh my land," and Vanellope let out a panic-stricken scream as the smoke filled the room.

Ralph grabbed the pan, his hands instantly becoming singed, and cursing as he set it down on the counter top.

Felix grabbed a dish towel and started fanning the room, and Vanellope ran to open the back door and all the windows.

The the turkey sat in its pan, burned pure black. Ralph groaned. How could he have forgotten the most important part of the meal? It either made or broke the whole thing, and Ralph had most certainly broken it.

"How is it?" Felix asked tentatively.

Ralph got out a fork and tried to poke it. The fork just bounced off the turkey's skin-it was like a rock was inside. "Oi!" He exclaimed, putting his face in his burning hands. "I'm so sorry Vanellope." He mumbled, not able to look at her. "I ruined your first Thanksgiving for you!"

"Ralph, what are ya? Nuts?" Vanellope asked incredulously. "Just because you wrecked this big 'ol bird doesn't mean Thanksgiving is ruined!" She went over and stood by him. "I don't care about that! I'm just happy to be with you!"

"Really?" Ralph said, looking down at her.

"Uh, duh." Vanellope said. "I'm not Taffyta."

Ralph laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What's wrong with Taffyta?" Felix asked, looking confused.

"Um, nothing." Vanellope said. For a moment she'd forgotten Felix was still her teacher.

Ralph sighed. "So what are we going to do?" He asked, looking despondent. "We can't eat just stuffing, sauce, and pie."

Vanellope grinned. "I have an idea!"

* * *

15 minutes later, the three were sitting in Ralph's car in a drive through, on their way to order some fried chicken. Sure, it wasn't the 50's classic family picture, but so what? This was Ralph's family, and he loved it.

"You know, that would be a pretty good revenge for a turkey." Vanellope said from the backseat.

"What would be?" Ralph asked, looking over at her.

"To act all dead!" Vanellope explained, her hands flying around in the air. "But then at the last second, just when you're about to put it in the oven-SHAZAM! KAPOW! It comes back alive and starts flying all around!"

"Wow." Ralph said, while Felix just looked alarmed.

"And then they go and summon all their other turkey friends, and they're all like 'GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE!' That's their secret code word!" Vanellope went on, her eyes gleaming. "And then they all come out of everyone's houses and form an army-right in the middle of the street! Because they're sick of all their brothers dying on Thanksgiving every year, so they want revenge! So they turn into ROBOT turkeys, and start taking over the world! And everyone's all like, 'AHHH!' But the turkeys are just like, 'ZAP!', because they have laser vision eyes! And then the human army is all like, 'We're gonna kill you turkeys!' But the turkeys are just like, 'Haha, nope!' And then they ZAP, ZAP, SPLAT the whole army! And everyone's just running around like 'EHARGH!' And the the whole world is just like, "KABLOOM!"

She paused, heaving up and down. "Then they could turn it into a movie, and call it _A Turkey's Revenge, _or _The Turkeys Strike Back, _or _Attack of the Killer Birds!" _She finished. "It'd probably win an Oscar."

"Oh my land." Felix whispered, looking horrified and turning towards Ralph.

"You know what? Suddenly, I'm not in the mood for bird meat." Ralph said, pulling out of the driveway. "I think I've got a frozen lasagna in the fridge that'll work just fine."


	41. Voting and Vengeance

**A/N: I don't know what to say so let's just jump into it. **

**CuteGirl: **Did you post the fanart online? If so, copy the url into a review so I can see it! :)  
**Spoons And Forks: **Welcome to the club mon ami! Thanks for reading!

**Edger230: **Oh my goodness, Ryan Higa is my favorite Youtuber EVER! I love him! Top shelf!

**Unseen Vision 97: **Yeah, I thought about making Felix invite her, but there's just not to that...level? I think that's the best way I can describe it? So yeah.

* * *

Vanellope woke up at 7:00, a sinking feeling in her stomach. At the moment, she would give anything to have Robot Turkeys take over the world. Then she wouldn't have to go back to school. Vanellope knew that all that was awaiting her was work and stress. Today was the last day of school before the voting tomorrow. And she still didn't have an advantage! There will still so many people on Taffyta's side! Crawling over to her bedside drawer, she got out a piece of paper and started to make a list.

Swizzle, Gloyd, Citrusella, Minty and Torvald had said they would vote for her for sure, so them added with her own vote, made up 6 out of 15-still not enough to win.

Taffyta and Candlehead's votes were obvious, so that left 6 votes, and Rancis. So she only needed at least two more people! At least, that's what her math skills told her, which weren't always reliable.

Vanellope sighed and beat her head against the notepad. Math was just as hard as elections.

"You up yet, kid?" Ralph asked, peeking his head in the door. "You've got a big pair of days coming up!"

"Ugh! Don't remind me!" Vanellope groaned.

"C'mon!" Ralph said, going over and picking her up out of bed. "It can't be so bad! I know you're going to win! And besides, I made waffles!"

"_You _made waffles?" Vanellope exclaimed incredulously.

"Well, I got those kind you put in the toaster." Ralph said, flushing red. "But I didn't burn them for once!"

"Good for you, Ralphie." Vanellope giggled, patting him on the shoulder. "You're making excellent progress."

Ralph smiled.

The next half an hour went by in a blur. Vanellope ate (which was surprisingly good, even if they were toaster waffles), got dressed, and before she knew it, she was standing on the sidewalk, waiting for the bus to come. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, and more than anything she wanted to relax, but she just couldn't! Her whole body was tense and all she could think about was what would happen if Taffyta won. She'd feel so stupid and embarrassed, it'd be like Halloween all over again.

She straightened up as the bus screeched to a halt in front of her. She got on, and it felt like everyone was watching her. Taffyta was sitting next to Rancis, as usual, giving Vanellope a cold look. Candlehead sat by herself alone, looking sad. Vanellope almost went to sit by her, but she knew that Candlehead would probably just laugh in her face.

Adorabeezle and Minty were there, but they were already sitting by each other and talking. Everyone else from their class either took a different bus or were driven to school by their parents.

"You need to take a seat miss." Vanellope heard the bus driver say to her.

"Sorry." Vanellope said, blushing as she heard Taffyta giggle.

Vanellope sat down in a seat way in the back, wishing that she had Gloyd or Swizzle on her bus. Or that Rancis would sit by her instead. That'd be nice to. Maybe then Taffyta would see that he didn't like her.

The bus pulled up in front of the school, and they all got off. "Hope you're ready to lose tomorrow!" Taffyta smirked as they walked into class.

"Oh, we'll just see who the loser is." Vanellope said, smiling right back.

Taffyta scowled.

Vanellope walked over to the coat rack outside their classroom and hung her jacket and backpack up. Her hands were shaking nervously, and no matter how much she tried to calm down, she was just so worried! Maybe even a little scared to.

_Stop being such a diaper baby! _Vanellope chided herself. _You're going to win! _

Class seemed to tick by so slowly that day. It felt like Miss Mary was taking twenty years just to explain one simple theory. Well, not simple exactly, but still. Vanellope just wanted it to be break so she could try and convince just two more people to vote for her.  
Finally, morning recess came.

Vanellope looked around for all her classmates, but everybody seemed to be missing. "What the fudge?" Vanellope said, scratching her head. "Where is everybody?"

Suddenly, the two front double doors opened and the Gloyd ran in, panting.

"Where have you been?" Vanellope exclaimed, her hands on her hips. "Where's everybody else?"

"Vanellope, you h-have to come outside!" Gloyd said breathlessly, bending over with his hands on his knees. "T-Taffyta's talking to all the k-kids, about h-how why they should v-vote for h-her!"

"That little Jelly Tot!" Vanellope frowned. "Thanks for telling me, Gloyd!" She said, patting him on the back as she ran past.

Gloyd just nodded as he gasped for air. "I really s-should work out m-more." He panted.

Vanellope headed outside to the playground, where all the way on the other end she could see Taffyta talking to a large group of third-graders. Vanellope ran over immediately.

"And furthermore," Taffyta was saying, standing up on a tree stump as she addressed the group. "I think I would just make a better president because I have experience with this school! Would you really want to entrust your leadership to a girl who's only been here for 3 months?"

"I know I wouldn't!" Candlehead piped up, standing next to Taffyta.

"Exactly." Taffyta said. "She probably won't even know what she's doing! We can't trust her!"

"That's not true!" Vanellope cried. The kids all turned to look at her. "I mean..." She stammered, blushing as 13 pairs of eyes turned to look at her. "It isn't!" She walked up to the front, right next to Taffyta. "Yes, even though I've only been here for a few months, I already feel like I've gotten to know all of you!" She smiled. "Like...Nougetsia, remember that one time when we had that contest to see who could hang upside on the monkey bars the longest? Or Snowanna, when we had that dance contest at recess? And you totally beat me, but still! Or Crumbelina, when we built the biggest, epic-est, awesome-est hop scotch course ever? And Jubileena, when we dropped that cookie on the ground to see how many ants would come eat it?"

"Big deal." Taffyta said, rolling her eyes. "So you play with them at recess! So what?"

"The point is-" Vanellope said. "We're all friends here! You know I'll be there to hang out and talk with you and be your friend! And ask yourself-has Taffyta ever acted like your friend? Has she ever been genuinely nice to you?"

The kids all shook their heads and whispered to each other.

"Of-of course I have!" Taffyta stammered. "W-we're all friends! I invited you guys all to my Halloween party!"

"Yeah, but then you called Vanellope a freak!" Gloyd said, rejoining the group.

"And when we went to look for her, you said we shouldn't because she was so 'lame'!" Minty added. "That's not what a friend would do!"

More angry whispers.

"Uh! C'mon guys!" Taffyta said. "Remember, if you vote for me-"

"You can't buy people's votes Taffyta." Vanellope said. "Why else should they vote for you? Other than the fact that we'll get to come to your house if we do?"

"Because...because..." Taffyta stammered, looking panicky. "I'd do a really good job! I'd-"

But no one was listening. "No offense Taffyta, but you can be really mean sometimes." Jubileena said quietly.

The other kids nodded in agreement.

"Like that one time you said my new backpack looked like it was made of dead animal skin!" Crumbelina exclaimed.

"Or that time you said I was to stupid to live!" Citrusella said, crossing her arms.

"Those were just jokes!" Taffyta said, smiling the best she could. "I was just kidding around!"

"Well, we didn't find it funny." Sticky muttered.

Taffyta glared at all of them. "Vanellope is a loser!" She exclaimed. "If you vote for her, you'll regret it!"

"Says who?" Swizzle said.  
"Me!" Taffyta cried.

The group of kids began separate and walk off. Taffyta turned to Vanellope. "Why do you always have to ruin everything?!" She shrieked.

"It's not my fault!" Vanellope said. "You're the one who chose to be mean to everyone. Maybe if you were nicer-"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Taffyta said. She snapped her fingers. "C'mon Candlehead, let's get out of here!"  
Candlehead nodded and walked behind her as they left. "Don't worry, Taffyta!" She said, patting her on the shoulder. "I'm sure everyone will change their minds and see how-"

"Gawd Candlehead, will you ever shut up?" Taffyta shouted, pushing her hand away. "You're so dumb sometimes."

Candlehead frowned sadly and looked towards the ground. "Sorry." She mumbled. They walked inside, steam practically surging out of Taffyta's ears.

Vanellope stood there alone, and even though she should have felt reassured, all she could feel was anxiety.

* * *

The next day, the whole class was talking to each other about the voting. Taffyta and Candlehead sat in the corner of the room, saying nothing. At morning break, the kids stayed in class to vote. Miss Mary walked around with a slips of paper. "Now, all you have to do is write down the name of who you want to vote for on your piece of paper, and then turn it in to me!"

Vanellope wrote down her own name and gave it to Miss Mary. She watched as the other students jotted down someone's name. Her heart was pounding so hard, it felt like it would burst. She just _had_ to win. She'd never wanted something so bad in her life before! Well, except maybe her RV1000, but that was a different story.

"Okey dokey!" Miss Mary said once she had all the slips. "I'll tally these up, and at lunch, we'll announce the winner!"

The kids all went to talk to each other. "I voted for you Vanellope!" Adorabeezle whispered to her.

"Aw, thanks Adorabeezle." Vanellope said, giving her a hug.

"I'm just sick of Taffyta being mean to you." Adorabeezle said. "I'm sorry I never stood up for you...I just-"

Vanellope placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's fine! Don't worry about it! You just didn't want her to be mean to you too."

Adorabeezle nodded. "But still, that doesn't excuse me just sitting there. I'm just so sorry!"

"Thank you." Vanellope said, smiling warmly at her.

* * *

Even though Vanellope knew she had a very good chance, she couldn't help but feel all jittery inside all through the rest of the morning. In PE, when they played dodge ball, she got hit with every ball that was thrown at her. She just couldn't focus!

"Reilly! Get your head in the game!" Coach Calhoun called to her as another ball bounced off her leg.

"Sorry!" Vanellope said, heading over to the "out" section for the 7th time in a row.

Coach walked over to her and leaned down. "I hear you guys are doing that election thing today." She said, smiling at her a tiny bit.

"Yeah, we find out who wins next hour." Vanellope said, getting all flustered again.

"Well, I just wanted to tell you good luck." Coach Calhoun said. "And if I had to place my money on anyone, it'd be you."

"Thanks Sarge!" Vanellope grinned, giving her a fist bump.

Just then, Professor Felix walked in, looking as out of place as Ralph chowing down on a big slice of chocolate cake.

"Felix? What are you doing here?" Vanellope asked.

"Oh!" Felix exclaimed, blushing red. "I didn't know you had a class this hour." He said to Calhoun.

Coach Calhoun shrugged. "It's fine-what do you need?"

Felix had this funny look on his face, and his cheeks were all red and glow-y. "One of my students accidentally spilled all over the floor, and when I went to go ask Bill for a mop, he said he loaned it to you this morning." He said.

Coach nodded. "Oh yeah. If you need it I can go get it out of my office now."

"Thank you Tamora!" Felix said, looking all silly again. "I'd really appreciate it."

Coach Calhoun walked off to head to her office, which was near the back of the gym, leaving Vanellope and Felix alone.

"_Tamora?"_Vanellope giggled, poking him.

Felix blushed harder.

"Why are you acting so weird all the sudden?" Vanellope asked, peering into his face. "Huh? You look like you just ate a whole box of Red Hots!"

"No I don't!" Felix said, but he just turned even more redder.

"Yes you dooooo!" Vanellope said in a sing-song voice. "Why? What's wrong with you? Do you-" She gasped suddenly as it hit her. "You don't like her, do you?" She squealed as Felix pulled his cap over his face, his cheeks maroon by now. "I know that look! I see Taffyta give it to Rancis all the time, and a couple weeks ago I saw it when Ralph gave it to the checkout lady at the supermarket! You l_ike_ her!"

"Can you lower your voice, please!?" Felix said, looking so embarrassed. "I don't want anyone else to know!"

But Vanellope just giggled and jumped up and down. "Wait 'till I tell her! Then you guys can get married, and I can be the flower girl, and Ralph can be the guy that carries the ring but always loses it eventually, and then at the reception I can drink out of Ralph's glass when he's not looking-"

"No!" Felix exclaimed, taking both of her shoulders and swiveling her around to face him. "Vanellope, you have to promise me that whatever you do, you _won't _tell her!"

"Why?" Vanellope said, looking confused.

"Because...I...I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable, or myself. I don't think she feels the same way." Felix said, looking forlorn.

"But...what if I could find out for you? Then you wouldn't have to be so scared!" Vanellope pleaded.

"_Vanellope."  
_She huffed. "Fine! I promise!"

"Thank you!" Felix said, giving her a hug.

Just then, Calhoun came back with the mop and bucket. "Here you go, pint-sized." She said, handing it over to him.

"Th-thank you." Felix said, blushing again.

Vanellope giggled.

The adults both turned to look at her. "What are you still doing, here?" Coach said. "You're out time is up! Get back in the game!"

"Yes sir-I mean m'am!" Vanellope said, saluting her as she ran off.

Calhoun laughed.

* * *

Soon, PE was over and it was time for lunch. Mary instructed them to get their lunches and meet back in the classroom so she could announce the new president. The kids were all so excited, nobody even bothered to touch their food.  
"Alrighty!" Miss Mary trilled, coming up to stand in the front of the room. "First of all, I just want to say that I'm so proud of all of you! This election was very interesting, and I'm glad you all had so much fun!"

Vanellope snorted. Fun? Yeah, right.

Miss Mary took out a piece of paper and cleared her throat. "The winner of the 2012 R. Moore Elementary Election is..."

Vanellope crossed her fingers and closed her eyes. _Please, please, please! _She thought. _Please let it be me! _

"Vanellope Reilly! With 14 votes to 1!" Miss Mary said.

The students cheered and clapped. Gloyd started a group of people chanting Vanellope's name in the back of the room.

Vanellope blinked. She'd won? She let out a breathy laugh. She'd won! She'd done it!

"Good job Vanellope!" Miss Mary said, clapping as well. "I have a special certificate to give you, just let me go run and get it."

The second she walked out, Taffyta went ballistic. "What!" She exclaimed. "H-how could you _all _vote for her!"

"Because she'd nice!" A deep voice called from the back of the room. It sounded a lot like Swizzle, something that was proven by the pair of laughter that came afterward, along with Gloyd and Swizzle huddled over and shaking.

Taffyta's eyes widened and narrowed all in one moment. "You!" She said, turning to Candlehead, who was standing behind her and looking awkwardly at the ceiling. "You voted for Vanellope!? How could you? I thought you were on _my _side!"

Candlehead bit her lip and tugged on her pigtails. "Well, you were kinda being mean to me?" She said.

Taffyta stood there gaping wordlessly at her before she regained her composure and glared at her with a look colder than frostbite. "I have never been _mean _to you!" She exclaimed. "There's something called _constructive criticism-_something you need a lot of! I mean, look at you now! It's your fault that I lost!"

Candlehead's mouth fell open. "Me? My fault?" She whispered.

"Yes, your fault!" Taffyta said. "You were supposed to be my campaign manager, and help me win! But I didn't win did I? And whose fault is that? Yours!"

Candlehead shut her eyes and looked back up at the ceiling, her fist clenched tightly.

"I mean, if no one else is going to tell you how stupid you are, I will! You're such an embarrassment to me sometimes, I swear I just can't stand you anymore!" Taffyta cried. "I'm so sick of you! You act all dumb all the time and I just can't take it anymore! It's all your fault you stupid, worthless, little-"

"SHUT UP!" Candlehead yelled, still looking up at the ceiling.

The whole room went dead silent.

Taffyta gasped. "_What _did you say to me?"

"You heard me!" Candlehead said, sounding the strongest and most defiant she ever had. She looked down and eyed Taffyta straight on. "I said shut up!"

Taffyta's mouth opened and closed, sputtering incoherently.

"I'm sick of you making fun of me!" Candlehead said powerfully. "I try to be nice to you, but you just-just use me! And call me names! It's YOUR fault you lost! Because you're so mean to everyone! Do you want to know why I voted for Vanellope? Because she's nice-and I'd rather be her friend than yours! You just put other people down to make yourself feel better, when all you had to do was be nice! Then maybe you could have won! But you're NOT! You're NOT NICE! YOU'RE MEAN! And we're all SICK OF IT!"

"Candlehead!" Taffyta stammered. "Just calm down, you don't know what you're saying-"

"Yes I do!" Candlehead said. "I mean every single word! I don't need you! I'm not going to be your friend anymore if that's how you're going to treat everyone! Especially me! We're supposed to be best friends, but you treat me like a baby! A big, dumb, baby!"

"No I don't!" Taffyta protested. "I've never-"

"Just shut up!" Candlehead cried, pushing past everyone and running out the room.

The room was still. Everybody turned to look at each other, shocked.

Vanellope's eyes were opened wide, and she let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Whoa."


	42. I Know About Popular

The next couple days were weird. As November wound down, so did Taffyta. She was rarely heard from, at break nobody saw her, and she'd even called in "sick" a couple times. Vanellope just found it strange to not hear her voice anymore. But mostly, it was a relief. After 3 months of insults and bullying, it was nice to have a vacation of sorts.

But that wasn't the really weird thing. The strangest thing was that for the very first time in her life, Vanellope was...popular! That was the only way to describe it! The day after the election, Vanellope had gone to sit at an empty table in the cafeteria, and the second she had taken her seat, the other 7 spots were filled by a group of kids that had rushed over, fighting each other for a spot at Vanellope's table. "Hi Vanellope!" They all exclaimed, smiling at her. "What's up?"

"Hey guys!" Vanellope said, smiling warily. "I-I'm good. I guess."

Then they'd all laughed, even though Vanellope hadn't said anything humorous.

It wasn't just the girls either, the guys had started acting all weird around her too. The next morning, she was just hanging up her coat and scarf when Rancis came up to her.  
"Hey Vanellope!" He said.

"Uh, hi." Vanellope said, looking through her backpack.

Then he'd _giggled. _Giggled! Like a girl!

"Are you okay, there?" Vanellope said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes!" He yelped, looking embarrassed. "I...I was just wondering if you wanted to...you know...like hang out or something...or whatever..."

Before Vanellope could respond, Swizzle came rushing in. "Don't listen to him, Vanellope!" He'd exclaimed, panting and out of breath. "You should hang out with me! I have a trampoline at my house!"

"I asked her first!" Rancis cried, glaring at him.

"Well, I asked her second!" Swizzle said, glaring right back.

"Both of you can just can it." Gloyd said, walking up suavely. "She's coming to hang out with me." He turned to Vanellope. "I've got a trampoline, AND a tire swing at my house." He said.

"Well, I've got a basketball hoop!" Rancis said.

"I've got a pool!" Swizzle said.

"No you don't!" Gloyd exclaimed, pointing a finger at him. "Liar!"

"I could get one!"

"Who wants to go swimming when it's almost December anyways?"

"She could!"

"Yeah, if she was dumb, which she _isn't_!"

"Guys, guys, guys, calm down!" Vanellope exclaimed. But they were to busy fighting to listen.

"She's coming to my house!" Swizzle demanded.

"No she isn't, she's coming to mine!" Gloyd said back.

"Too bad she won't be at either of yours since she'll already be at my house!" Rancis said.

Before Vanellope knew it, the 3 of them had broken out into a big wresting match, right in the middle of the hallway. "Cut it out!" Vanellope shouted as they tackled and hit each other. "You guys are acting like a bunch of morons!" It finally took Vanellope getting Felix out of his classroom to come and break it up.

"You three boys need to cut it out!" Felix had demanded after pulling them apart. "Miss Vanellope here isn't going to want to be friends with you if you keep going after each other!"

But they'd just given each other angry glares.

Felix had to eventually take them over to the guidance counselor, Mr. Clyde. Afterwords, they came out looking like best friends again, as if the whole event hadn't happened. They also apologized to Vanellope for acting so dumb, and she said that she'd invite them _all _over to her house, _together. _And even though they never brought it up again, Vanellope was still weirded out by the whole event.

Another change was that Candlehead had started following Vanellope around. _Everywhere. _That same day at recess, Vanellope had just been playing alone on the swings when Candlehead popped up in front of her.

"Hi!" She chirped, waving.

"Whoa!" Vanellope yelped, falling off the swing face-forward.

"Oh my goodness, are you okay?" Candlehead asked, helping her up. "I didn't mean to scare you!"

"Don't worry! I'm fine!" Vanellope said through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the stinging pain in her knees and arms.

"That's good!" Candlehead giggled.

"So...ah, what do you need?" Vanellope asked, brushing herself off.

"Oh, you know, just to hang out!" Candlehead said, beaming up at her.

"Okay?" Vanellope said. "What do you want to do?"

"Whatever you want to do!" Candlehead beamed.

"I was just going to head over to the library, I guess." Vanellope shrugged.

"Ooh! That sounds like fun!" Candlehead squealed. "Let's go!"

So they went. The only problem was, it wasn't that fun on account of the fact that Candlehead didn't pick out any books, she just followed Vanellope around, breathing down her neck and commenting on all the good book choices she was making. It was like Vanellope was a robot, and Candlehead was the magnet. They were stuck together, without Vanellope's say in the matter. It's not like Vanellope didn't _want _to be friends with her, after all, Candlehead was plenty nice and all, it was just a little too much. And besides, it felt like she was stealing Taffyta's best friend, even if Taffyta did treat her like dirt.

It was like with Taffyta not in charge anymore, everyone had to turn to a new leader, who just happened to be Vanellope. She was never alone, no matter where she went. On the bus, Candlehead, Rancis, Minty, and Adorabeezle all fought to sit by her on bus on the way to and from school. It was slightly maddening.

Taffyta was obviously very bitter about this. There wasn't a day that went by where Vanellope didn't receive at least one deathly glare.

On Friday, the last day of November, Vanellope had turned the hallway to see Taffyta pleading with Candlehead. "Candle, those were just jokes! I never meant to really hurt your feelings! Can we still be friends?" She begged, something that was surprising.

"Is my favorite color purple?" Candlehead had said, glowering.

Taffyta paused. "Yes?"

"No!" Candlehead huffed, stomping away. "See Taffyta? You barely know anything about me! All you care about is yourself!"

"What are you looking at?" Taffyta had snapped when she saw Vanellope watching.

"Nothing." Vanellope mumbled.

"I bet you think you're so cool now, just because you're president now, and everyone likes you." Taffyta had said, walking over to her. "Well you're not! You're still a freak and you always will be!"

"Taffyta, maybe if you actually took time to care about Candlehead, she would want to be your friend." Vanellope said, folding her arms.

"I care about her!" Taffyta exclaimed, looking angry. "You're just too dumb to see it!"

"Right." Vanellope said, rolling her eyes.

"Just get out of my way." Taffyta hissed, pushing past her.

By the end of the day, Vanellope was just grateful that the week was over. She needed the weekend.

Ralph had taken Vanellope's president certificate and framed it on the wall. Tonight they were going to have a special celebration in her honor. Ralph had gotten on of Vanellope's favorite movies off of Netflix, some caramel popcorn, and they were going to play _Just Dance _later, in which Vanellope would probably win. But even so, Vanellope got a kick out of watching Ralph 'bust a move'.

At the moment, Ralph was ordering a pizza for dinner, while Vanellope was listening to music and doing a very enthusiastic air guitar.

After Ralph hung up, he turned to Vanellope. "Having fun?" He said, a smile playing across his face.

"Gadoi!" Vanellope said, falling to her knees and moving her fingers around wildly.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. "That can't be the pizza already!" Ralph said, puzzled, scratching his head.

"I'll get it!" Vanellope said, scrambling off the couch and running to the door. She opened in up and peeked out. When she saw who it was, her mouth dropped open in shock.

There stood Candlehead, a big smile on her face and a sleeping bag at hand. "Hey Vanellope!" She said.

"Candlehead?" Vanellope exclaimed, blinking to see if she was actually there or not. "  
What are you doing here?"

"Well, every Friday night, Taffyta and me would have sleepovers together." Candlehead explained, tugging on one of her pigtails. "But since we're not friends anymore, I can't go there! So I was just like, ah-duh! Vanellope is your best friend now, Candlehead! Just go have a sleepover with her! So my mom dropped me off, and now I'm here!"

Vanellope stood there wordlessly. This was...unexpected. But it wasn't like she could just turn her away! "Oh, um...come in?" Vanellope said, still not knowing what to do. She'd never had a sleepover with someone before. Well, except for Ralph, but that didn't really count.

"Who's this?" Ralph asked, looking surprised when Vanellope walked in with a stranger.

"This is Candlehead, she's my friend from school." Vanellope explained. "Is it okay if she spends the night?"

"Uh, sure, I guess?" Ralph said, looking more confused than ever.

"Yay!" Candlehead squealed, jumping on the spot. "'This is going to be wonderful!" She wrapped her arms around Vanellope for a big hug.

"Uh huh." Vanellope nodded, turning to grimace warily at Ralph.

He smiled the best he could back, but Vanellope wasn't very reassured.

"Wow! You're room is so cool!" Candlehead said, looking all around.

"Thanks." Vanellope said. "You can just put you stuff over there." She gestured to the window seat.

Candlehead instead just put her stuff on the floor and began bouncing up and down on Vanellope's bed. "Holy guacamole! Your bed is way more fun to bounce on than Taffyta's!" She squealed.

"Uh, thank you?" Vanellope said. That was a good thing, right? "Look, why don't we do something else?" She said, noticing that her sheets were becoming messier and messier.  
"Like what?" Candlehead said, still jumping.

Vanellope thought fast. "How 'bout some video games? We have _Just Dance _downstairs!" She didn't know why, but having Candlehead messing around in her room really worried her.

"Really?" Candlehead exclaimed, looking overjoyed.

"Yeah, so let's go!" Vanellope said, ushering her out the door.

As it turned out, Candlehead wasn't good at _Just Dance_. At all. She would always be doing the exact opposite of what she was supposed to, and during one song she got so frustrated she sat on the floor and refused to get up.

"C'mon Candlehead!" Vanellope grunted as she tugged on her arm, trying to pull her up. "Don't give up!"

"I don't feel like dancing anymore." Candlehead huffed, remaining on the ground. "At Taffyta's house we never played video games, we would always do makeovers."

Thankfully, Ralph chose that moment to duck his head in and tell them the pizza had arrived. They'd gone upstairs to eat when Candlehead complained that she didn't like pizza. "At Taffyta's house we always had sushi." She whined.

'_Well, why don't you go to Taffyta's house then, if it's so great!' _Vanellope almost muttered. "I think there's some cereal in the cupboard you could have." She chose to say instead.

"Fine." Candlehead moaned.

After dinner, the pair went back up to Vanellope's room. "Do you want me to do your hair?" Candlehead asked. "Or tell you my 10 favorite things about you?"

"No?" Vanellope said, looking over at Candlehead worriedly. "Why? Does Taffyta make you do that?"

Candlehead nodded. "Yes, but it's so much fun!" Her face fell. "Well, it _was _fun, anyways. Now she doesn't want to be my friend anymore."

"But, you were the one that broke things off?" Vanellope pointed out.

"Yes, but that's because she wasn't treating me like a good friend." Candlehead explained.

Vanellope still really didn't understand, but she decided to drop it. "Well, we could play some board games!" She tried, going over to her drawers and digging through them. "Ralph and Felix got me lots! I've got _The Game of LIFE, CLUE, Sorry!, Monopoly, Scrabble..." _She looked up. "What sounds good to you?"

But instead of listening to her options, Candlehead was across the room, looking through Vanellope's closet.

"Hey!" Vanellope exclaimed. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry!" Candlehead called. "You just have a lot of cool stuff in here!"

"Well, you can't just go digging through my stuff!" Vanellope said, walking over to her.

"Okay, okay. I'll be out in a-" Candlehead cut herself off with a loud scream.

"What?" Vanellope asked, her eyes wide with fright.

Candlehead emerged out of the closet holding a white plastic bag and looking ecstatic. "_You have My Little Pony: The Movie?" _She exclaimed incredulously.

Vanellope slapped her hand against her forehead. She knew she should have burned those DVDs Ralph had bought her. Now Candlehead was going to go tell the whole school, and everyone would laugh at her and call her big, fat, diaper baby, and all her newly gained respect would be gone with a snap. "Yeah, um, I actually don't-"

"_This is my favorite movie ever!" _Candlehead squealed. "Can we watch it, please, please, please!"

Vanellope face crumbled. "Do we have to?"

Candlehead nodded fervently.

"Fine." Vanellope huffed, walking to the TV and putting it in.

Candlehead curled up on Vanellope's bed, looking like this was the best day of her life.

The minute the movie started, Vanellope could tell that this was going to be the longest moment of her life. Rainbows and ponies filled the screen, and a irritating singing filled the background. There was so much and sparkles and glitter and...PINK. Vanellope wanted to die.

Candlehead didn't seemed to be bothered by it at all, in fact she cheered and sang along.

"Will you excuse me for a moment?" Vanellope muttered, heading out the door.

"Yes, but hurry!" Candlehead squeaked. "It's almost to the good part!"

_The end? _Vanellope thought sarcastically. She went downstairs and sat on one of the kitchen counter stools in front of Ralph, who was still cleaning up.

"Hey you!" He said, smiling at her as he washed out Candlehead's cereal bowl. "How's the sleepover going?"

"Awful." Vanellope groaned, putting her face down. "First she messes up my bed, then she doesn't want to play _Just Dance, _then she tells me she hates pizza, and then she starts going through my stuff, and now I'm forced to watch that dumb _My Little Pony _movie you brought me!"

"Ouch." Ralph said. "I'm sorry kid."

"I mean, Candlehead's nice and all, but she's just the complete opposite of me!" Vanellope went on. "We have nothing in common! I like her, but I don't think I could be her best friend."

"Then why don't you tell her that?" Ralph asked, draining the soapy water from the sink.

"Because, ever since her and Taffyta got in that big fight, I'm the only friend she has!" Vanellope said, lifting her head up to rest it in her hands. "And I don't want to be mean to her too!"

"Yes, but don't you think Candlehead would be better off with someone who she could be good friends with?" Ralph said, leaning down to look at her. "Wouldn't _you_ rather have no friends than a bunch of fake ones?"

"I guess so." Vanellope sighed. She looked back up the stairs and to her room. "I guess I better head back up there. Wish me luck!"

Ralph nodded.

When Vanellope re-entered her room, the movie was still playing. "Agh! You missed the funny part!" Candlehead complained. "Do you want me to go back to it?"

"No, that won't be necessary." Vanellope said, trying to smile.

"Okay." Candlehead said, looking annoyed.

Vanellope tried to say it. She did! But the words just wouldn't come. She didn't want to hurt Candlehead the same way Taffyta had. So she sat there and watched the rest of the movie with her.

"Well that was dumb." Vanellope said without thinking once the credits played.

"No it wasn't!" Candlehead exclaimed, glaring at her.

"I...um..." Vanellope stammered, trying to think of a way to correct herself.

But Candlehead didn't seem to notice. "Wowzers! It's getting late!" She said, looking over at the clock. "I'm going to get ready for bed!" She left the room with her pajamas to go into the bathroom.

Vanellope sighed and got ready for bed as well.

5 minutes later, they lay there in the dark, Vanellope tucked into bed and Candlehead inside her sleeping bag on the floor. Vanellope felt a pang of sadness as she realized Ralph wouldn't be coming to tuck her in tonight, like he always did. He still hadn't gotten her a story yet, which was really annoying since Vanellope was starting to get impatient with that.

"So, on a scale of 1 to 10, how much do you think Swizzle likes me?" Candlehead asked.

"What?" Vanellope said.

"How much do you think he likes me? 'Cause today in science, when we all were writing down what all the water cycle steps are, I swore I saw him looking at me."

"You probably just imagined it." Vanellope said into her pillow. She was not in the mood to talk about boys right now.

"Are you sure?" Candlehead said. "Because when I waved to him he narrowed his eyes at me. That's a good thing right?"

"Sure, yeah, whatever." Vanellope mumbled.

Candlehead spent the next who knows how many minutes talking about Swizzle and nothing else, until finally Vanellope couldn't take it anymore. "Candlehead! I don't want to talk about guys right now, okay? Can we just get some sleep?"

"I guess." Candlehead said, sounding riled.

They lay there in silence, both unable to get rest, until about a hour later when Vanellope finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, both were oddly quiet. Candlehead called her mom to pick her up, and cleaned up her stuff without saying a word. When her mother finally came, Vanellope walked her to the door. "Well, thanks for coming." Vanellope said awkwardly.

"Yes, you're welcome." Candlehead said, sounding like she had something on her mind. "And about next Friday..."

_Oh no, _thought Vanellope. _She's going to want to come over again! _Vanellope knew she had to tell her now, just let her down gently.

"I don't think I'll be coming back over." Candlehead said.

_Wait, what? _

"You're a really nice person Vanellope, and I'm still glad you got president, but I don't think we can really be best friends." Candlehead said, placing a hand on Vanellope's shoulder. "You're just not my type."

"Are you...breaking up with me?" Vanellope asked, her mouth hanging open. She felt like she was on one of those soap operas Taffyta and Candlehead always used to talk about.

"Yeah...hate to break it to you like this, but I think it's for the best." She said, patting her gently. "It's like we're the words for north and south, black and white, front and back? What was it again...?"

"Opposite." Vanellope provided.

"Yeah! That's it!" Candlehead nodded. "Anyways, I'm really sorry! But hey, we'll still see each other in school right?"

"Sure." Vanellope said as Candlehead got in her car. She waved goodbye and headed back inside, feeling weird.

"So, how'd it go?" Ralph asked her.

"Better than I expected." Vanellope yawned.

"That's good." Ralph said, patting her on the back.

Vanellope nodded. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back to bed, I barely got any sleep last night." She said, rubbing her eyes.

"Why?" Ralph asked as she walked up the stairs.

"Boys." Vanellope muttered.

"WHAT?!" Ralph exclaimed, his face filling with shock.

"'Night Ralph." Vanellope said, going into her room and closing the door.

Ralph stood there, immobile for a few seconds. "Wait!" He cried, going up the stairs. "_What_ boys?"


	43. Lights

**A/N: A fortune cookie for you: One should not write about Christmas in June. It's wrong on so many levels. The song dedicated to this chapter is **_**Christmas Just Does This to Me, **_**by Matt Wertz. Yeah, listen to Christmas music in summer. I dare you. **

**Prosper: **Don't sweat it!

**ILoveHeartsAndAnimals: **Aw! Thank you so much! * big cyberhug *

* * *

December swept in in an instant. In just one day, the world went from the sharp coldness of November to the smooth, calming, lull December brought. It was if for a month life went sleepy. Everyone stopped fighting, and you would see kindness everywhere. The kids checked the weather reports every day to see when the first snow would occur. Couples strode down the romantically lit streets hand in hand, huddled together closely. People came door to door singing Christmas hymns. You couldn't turn on a radio station and _not _listen to a holiday song.

All this was nice and all, but there was one person who couldn't enjoy it, at least not at the present moment, anyway.

Calhoun cracked her neck side to side, clearly annoyed. This was _not _how she had pictured spending her Friday afternoon. Especially since she was not a holiday person. December 25 was December 25. Nothing more, nothing less. But now instead of sitting at home, like she would have preferred, she was staying after hours, hanging up _Christmas_ decorations. And it was only the 7th! You think they could wait until it was actually close to the date, but no, they had to do it _now. _

She taped another dumb snowman to the wall, which brought up another issue she had. Why were they hanging up pictures of snowmen and snowflakes, when it hadn't even snowed yet? It all seemed so ridiculous to her. Gene had encouraged her to teach the kids, "Christmas themed activities" that they could do indoors. Since it was too cold to go outside, all their sports in PE had to take place in the gym. But what the heck were "Christmas themed activities?" Like fun she'd do that.

Moving down the hallway, she slapped another wreath onto a classroom door. Okay, so maybe she was a little bitter. The last Christmas that she'd spent "traditionally" was when she was twenty-three and dating Brad. Calhoun paused as she thought about that. Had it really been 9 years already? She seemed so young back then, so foolish.

_But look at you now, _A voice in her head reminded. _Back then you were a lovesick mess working at a gas station. Now you're still that, except now you're hanging up pictures of a fat man in a red suit on an elementary school wall. Not much of an improvement. _

_ I am NOT a lovesick fool! _Calhoun thought back, slapping a snowflake above the water fountain.

_Says the one fighting with herself. What was that that happened before Thanksgiving, hmm? _

_ That. Was. Nothing!_

_ You know what that was. _

Calhoun sighed in frustration. Maybe she was going nuts. After all, she was starting to get more comfortable than she liked to be in this town. She had protected herself from feeling anything, but ever since she'd come here, it's like all her emotions were going haywire.

_Pull it together. _

She turned the corner, and to her surprise, there was Fix-It, hanging some lights while standing on a ladder. He heard her footsteps and turned to look over at her. "Oh, hello Tamora!" He said cheerfully. "I would wave to you, but I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment!"

"That's fine." Calhoun said, admiring his handy work. The colorful lights stretched all the way in a grand zig-zag across the hallway. Even she had to admit it looked nice. He'd also hung up a bunch of paper snowflakes that she assumed his class had worked on. It was almost magical. Almost.

"Ah!" Felix sighed, attaching the end of the lights to the ceiling. He climbed down the ladder carefully and stood beside her to take it all in. "Doesn't it just look wonderful?" He exclaimed, sounding overjoyed. His crystal blue eyes sparkled, in the reflection of the lights, and that cute smile of his danced on his face.

Wait no, not cute. He smiled. That was it.

"I suppose so." Calhoun said, shifting uncomfortably. It made the things she'd hung up look so simple compared to his. But it wasn't completely her fault! She'd just hung up the stuff Gene had given her.

"Christmas is my favorite time of year!" Felix said, looking up at her. "Everyone's just so happy, loving, and giving, and there's all the pretty trees and lights, and that happy feeling you get when it snows for the first time..." He sighed again, sounding completely enchanted. "It's amazing."

"It sounds like it." Calhoun admitted. Suddenly, she felt like part of her was aching for that feeling, that wonderful, magical, feeling that Christmas brought. She'd never felt that. Even when she celebrated it with Brad, she couldn't remember getting that emotion she got when she was 5 years old, and she'd run down to the big tree, calling for her mom and dad to wake up. Like everything, for one day, was perfect, and anything could happen.

"Are you doing anything for Christmas?" Felix asked her.

"Probably not." She said, shrugging.

"Why?" Felix exclaimed, looking startled.

"I dunno." Calhoun said, feeling awkward all of the sudden. "I don't really have anyone to spend it with-"

"What about your family?" Felix insisted.

Calhoun gritted her teeth. On her list of least favorite words, family definitely was close to top. "I don't have one."

Felix just looked confused. "I'm sorry." He finally mumbled. "I didn't know..."

"Don't worry about it." She said, starting to walk along. "I have more decorations to put up."

"I'll come with you!" Felix said, tagging behind her.

_NO. No, no, no, and no! A million times _no_. _

"Alright." She said, trying not to grin at the ecstatic smile that filled his face. They walked along chatting as she put up more snowflakes, gingerbread men, and present boxes. When they were done with that, she helped Felix set up the large Christmas tree in the lobby. He told her than he and Bill had gone out to a tree nursery a couple days ago and purchased it. It was very big and full, and looked simply stunning with all the lights and ornaments they put on it.

"Wow." She breathed.

_Stop getting so emotional! _

_ Oh, just shut up already._

"I think we did a really good job, Tammy." Felix said, admiring the tree as well.

"What was that?" Calhoun said, her eyes widening slightly as she turned to look at him.

Felix turned redder than a ruby. "I...uh..." He stammered, looking embarrassed. "I didn't mean to do that! I swear! It just slipped out! I'll...I just..."

"Don't beat yourself up over it soldier." Calhoun said, turning away so he wouldn't see the blush in her cheeks. Normal Calhoun would have slapped him silly for ever trying to give her a nickname. But Weird Calhoun couldn't lie to herself. She didn't mind it. Not one bit. After all, no one had ever called her "Tammy" before. It was...different. "I...I don't mind it."

"You don't?" Felix said disbelievingly, turning to look at her.

She shook her head, surprising both of them.

Felix said nothing but smiled back, and for one moment, Calhoun felt a stir in someplace she'd tried to keep locked away for so long. It was as if after years and years of sitting in darkness, she was slowly, inch by inch, moving back into the light. She wasn't having nightmares every night, like she used to. She was smiling! She was laughing! It was terrifying, wonderful, scary, and and the best thing she'd ever felt-all at the same time.

Felix opened his mouth to say something when Gene came out of his office and into the lobby. "Tamora!" He said, looking pleased. "I was just going to go look for you!"

"Oh?" Calhoun said, raising an eyebrow. "What about?"

Gene brushed off his collared cardigan as he said breezily, "Oh, I just have big news that concerns you. It needs to be discussed immediately."

"Alright." Calhoun said uneasily, looking over as Felix gave her a worried look. She gave him a look that implied she didn't know what was going on either, and followed Gene into the office. She sat stiffly in the chair in front of Gene's desk, tapping her fingers against the armrest worriedly. What was going on? She didn't like surprises.

Gene sat down in his place, taking out a pair of glasses and a bottle of wine. "Would you care for a drink?" He offered her.

"No thank you." She said, getting more and more tense by the minute. "What is this 'big news' you were talking about?"

Gene sighed as he took a sip out of his drink. "Well, I just first off wanted to tell you how pleased I am that you accepted this position. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a full-time employee at the last minute, especially in a teaching position?"

Calhoun sat there, saying nothing.

"Well, it is very hard. Not to mention stressful." Gene went on, rubbing his temples. "We are very fortunate to have you here."

"Get to the point." Calhoun said, her features tensing.

"Well, as you know, this position was only _temporary_." Gene emptied his glass and looked at her seriously. "You agreed to work here only until we found someone who could work here permanently. And I am very please to say that after 3 months, we were able to find someone who is willing to work as our full time gym teacher."

Wait, was he saying what she thought he was saying? Her mind clouded over and she held her breath.

"You're free, Tamora. You're free to go." Gene said, smiling widely at her, like this was something she should be happy about. "We don't need your services here anymore."

Calhoun felt as if part of her collapsed. Her face fell and she felt a sudden blast of pain. But why? She should be happy! This is the moment she'd been waiting for since the moment she started this job!

Wasn't it?

"Is everything okay?" Gene asked, looking at her curiously.

"What?" Calhoun exclaimed, shaking her head and looking around. "Yes, I...I'm fine." She muttered.

"Well, you can go pack your things now." Gene said.

Calhoun was lost in thought. She had wanted to get away from this place from the get-go. She had even said it herself, she was getting too emotionally attached to this place. It was time for her to go.

But then...

What about Vanellope? Yes, they were only a student and a teacher to each other, but she was already attached to that little squirt. Just yesterday, she'd come into Calhoun's office during lunch with a Christmas card she'd made herself. It showed both of them having a snowball fight and said inside, _To the best gym teacher ever, Merry Christmas. Love, Vanellope. _

It was the first Christmas card she'd gotten in years.

She would miss her.

And what about Felix? Her heart skipped a beat just thinking of him. He was something else. And as much as she hated to admit it, her heart went out to him. She didn't want to leave him. She knew that if she did, she'd never be able to forget him. He made her feel the way she'd wanted to feel since she lost her father, then her mother, and then her first love. She needed him.

She couldn't leave. "Wait!" Calhoun exclaimed, putting her hands on the desk. "What if-what if I want to stay? What if I accepted the job...permanently?"

Gene raised an eyebrow. "_You _want to stay here? Permanently? Tamora, I've looked at your job history from the last years and it appears to be that you've never stayed in one city for more than 5 months! And now you're telling me you want me to trust that for some magical reason you've decided that you like it here, so much that you're willing to go against everything your instincts tell you?"

Calhoun couldn't think of a better way to put it. "Yes." She said firmly. "I want to take the job."

Gene sighed he went over to look at the window and said nothing for a few moments. Eventually he turned back to her and said, "Well, I'll have some...uncomfortable phone calls to make. But if this is what you want...I guess you can stay."

Calhoun felt something rise up her chest.

_Joy. _

"Thank you!" She exclaimed, standing up and shaking his hand. "I promise you, you won't regret it!"

"I better not." Gene huffed, turning back to his drink.

Calhoun walked out of the office, surprised to see Felix still there, waiting for her. "What is it?" He said, jumping up at once, a worried expression on his face. "Is everything alright? Are you okay? What happened? What did Gene want? You're not in trouble, are you?"

"Calm down pint-sized!" Calhoun said, smiling at his antics. "Everything's fine, I just got replaced."

"WHAT?!" Felix burst, sounding hysterical. "That-that is not okay! You can't leave! Where will you go! Will I ever see you again? Please Tammy, don't leave!"

There was that feeling again. "I told him no." She smiled.

"What?" Felix exclaimed again, looking confused.

"I told him I wanted to stay." Calhoun explained. "As much as I hate this place, I've...grown soft I guess."

Felix's confusion faded into a smile, which then faded into embarrassment. "Well...well...that's good!" He stammered, his cheeks crimson. "That's really good!"

Calhoun nodded. "Well, I guess I better be heading home now." She said, looking at her watch. "I've got some boxes I never thought would need unpacking to take care of."

"Well, have a nice weekend!" Felix said, smiling up at her.

"You too, Fix-It." She chuckled, pulling his hat over his eyes.

Felix laughed bashfully.

Tamora blushed.


	44. Patching Things Up

**A/N: So one year ago today, the first Wreck-It Ralph trailer was released-making today the fandom anniversary! Woohoo! Yeah, Tumblr is going crazy. Here is my present: **

* * *

Vanellope was quickly deciding that she loved Christmas. Back at the orphanage, all that happened was that Ms. Jillian would take the "pretty girls" to fancy meetings to ask for donations. Nancy was almost always chosen. She would come back talking about all the rich people she shook hands with, all the luxurious food she got to try, and the all the lavish presents she got from people there. Vanellope would be lucky if she got a new pair of knee socks.

But now things were different. On Friday Ralph had taken her out ice-skating at this indoor rink. He had failed miserably, but Vanellope learned that she was rather good at it. She wasn't _amazing _or anything, she wasn't like those kids she'd seen doing back flips, jumps, and twirls, but she was still pretty good.

And school had become so much more fun! Last week in math, Felix let them make paper snowflakes so they could practice with shapes. It was so easy-it didn't even feel like real class! In English they got to write their own short stories about Christmas. Vanellope was writing a dramatic action story in which aliens took over the North Pole. The aliens put hidden timers in all the toys, so when kids would open them on Christmas Day, the toys would all turn into evil robots and come to life, helping the aliens in their evil conquest to take over the world. It then became up to Vanellope to save humanity from the evil aliens and their toy army, and save Christmas!

It was going to win a Pulitzer Prize, for sure.

And the school looked so pretty! There were lights, and tinsel, and garland-all over the place! Vanellope could barely contain herself. The only thing that was missing was snow. Vanellope had never gotten to play in it, or even touch it-Ms. Jillian said it would make her sick. So every winter of her life, she'd spent her days locked behind windows, willing to do just about anything to go outside and play.

When Vanellope had explained this to Ralph, he'd just laughed incredulously. "Snow can't make you sick!" He exclaimed. "I mean, I guess if you get really wet and catch a cold, but that's beside the point. You can play in it all you want-when it gets here anyways."

So now all she had to do was wait.

In the meantime, she was finding things to keep her busy. She'd made Christmas cards for all her teachers, like Miss Mary, Coach Calhoun, and Felix. She'd gotten so good at making those paper snowflakes that she'd hung them all up around the house. On the windows, walls, ceilings, counters, chairs. Ralph had told her that they were very pretty, but he didn't like finding them inside the cereal boxes.

Today, Vanellope was hanging out in Felix's classroom, helping him put Christmas cards in envelopes. Felix explained to her that he liked to send them to all the parents of his students.

"You know, you're really nice." Vanellope said, licking an envelope shut. That was her favorite part. "I mean, seriously. Sometimes I wonder if you're a real person."

Felix chuckled and blushed. "Well, thank you. But I can assure you, I'm very real." He put another sealed envelope in the finished pile. "So, do you and Ralph have any plans for Christmas?"

Vanellope shrugged. "Nothing really. We still have to get a tree, but we'll probably just do normal stuff. What about you?"

"I'm going to visit my family in Georgia." Felix said, looking pleased.

"You're from Georgia?" Vanellope gasped. "Holy Skittles! I didn't know that! I guess I should have guessed, with your accent."

"Uh huh." Felix nodded, smiling at her. "My four brothers live there, as well a lot of my cousins."

"Why are you apart from them?" Vanellope asked curiously.

Felix sighed. "It's a long story! We lived there, then we moved here, but then my granddad passed, so they all wanted to move back and help out with the farm, but at that time I was already in the middle of college..." He looked over at her. "So yeah, I was stuck here."

"Do you wish you could go back?" Vanellope asked, slipping another card into an envelope.

"At first." Felix said slowly. "But now I rather like it here. I mean, I've got you and Ralph, and this school, and this town and-"

"Coach Calhoun?" Vanellope teased, putting her face in his.

Felix flushed red. "What? No!" He stammered, pushing her face away gently.

"So you don't care about her?" Vanellope went on, looking simply delighted.

"No!" Felix exclaimed. "I didn't say that!"

"So you do?"

"I never said-"

"Felix and _Tamora, _sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-"

"Vanellope!" Felix exclaimed, looking frantic. "I...I...you need to be quieter! Someone could hear you."

"I-n-g." Vanellope finished under her breath, smiling impishly at him.

"Very funny." Felix said.

"Thank you!" Vanellope said, standing up to take a bow. "I do my best!" She giggled as she sat back down and got to work again.

Felix couldn't stop blushing. "I told you before, her and I, we're not...I mean..." He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Whatever you say Felix." Vanellope said, giving him a knowing look. "Whatever you say!"

* * *

"I heard we're supposed to get 10 feet of snow on Saturday!" Gloyd exclaimed, pumping his arms as he swung back and forth.

"Yeah right!" Rancis said, rolling his eyes, swinging along side him. "Where'd you hear that from?"

"The internet." Gloyd said defensively.

"Is 10 feet of snow a lot?" Vanellope asked, her ponytail whipping in front of her face as she swung forward.

"Yeah!" Gloyd said.

"And it's so impossible!" Swizzle said, who was on the swings as well. "There's no way we're going to get 10 whole feet on the first day it snows!"

"How do you know?" Gloyd shot back. "You're not the weatherman!"

"I just want it to snow, period." Vanellope said wistfully. "I've never even-" She paused. For some reason, she didn't really want to tell them about the orphanage. What if they started acting weird around her, and started all acting so sorry for her, and treated her like a baby? There's no way she wanted that!

"Never what?" Rancis asked, looking up nervously. His hair, which Vanellope learned from Gloyd and Swizzle, was very precious to him, and if it was messed up in the slightest, he'd have a huge fit. He calmed down as he saw it was still in check, and went back to swinging.

"Um, nothing." Vanellope said, looking embarrassed.

The three guys turned to look at her questioningly. "You can tell us." Swizzle said. "It's probably not that big of a deal."

"It's just that...I've never really played in snow." Vanellope said quietly. There, now she was telling them the truth, without going into detail.

"What?!" They exclaimed all at once, looking horrified.

"So you've never celebrated Halloween _and _you've never played in snow?" Gloyd gasped. "Where were you raised, a prison?"

_Kinda, yeah. _

"No!" Vanellope shrugged. "I just...never have."

"That's sad." Rancis said. "Like, really sad."

The other two nodded in agreement.

"Well, hopefully it'll come soon, so you can." Gloyd said.

"I'll flush some ice cubes!" Swizzle offered.

"What the heck will that do?" Rancis asked, sounding bemused.

"Everyone knows that if you flush ice cubes down the toilet, the next day you'll have a snow day." Swizzle explained.

"That's just a superstition."

"No it isn't! My brother did it, and it worked!"

"Yeah, but your brother also swallowed a pair of dice."

"That was _one time!" _

"Guys!" Vanellope exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "Take a chill pill, okay? We'll just have to wait for the snow to come!" She looked up longfully towards the cloudy sky. "No matter how long it takes."

* * *

Ever since their sleepover, things had been a little awkward with Candlehead and Vanellope. They were still friendly to each other, but there was always that weird feeling between them. Vanellope was just glad Candlehead had been the one to say they couldn't be friends instead of herself.

While everyone else was acting cheery, Taffyta was being a downright Scrooge. She still found pleasure in tormenting Vanellope on anything and everything possible. But Vanellope knew that it was only because Taffyta was freaking out that Candlehead still wasn't talking to her. Vanellope had seen Taffyta passing notes to her during class, but Candlehead would just take one look at the folded up piece of paper and turn away, her nose in the air and a prissy look on her face.

Part of Vanellope wished they would just stop fighting and become friends again. She couldn't take all this drama, especially around the holidays. After all, Christmas was a time for love and joy! Not anger and bitterness! But Candlehead wouldn't budge. No matter how much Taffyta begged, pleaded, and even threatened, she just dismissed her like last week's lunchmeat.

Until finally, one frosty Thursday afternoon, Taffyta marched up to the table where Candlehead was sitting with Vanellope, Adorabeezle, and Jubileena. "Candlehead!" She'd exclaimed in the scariest voice Vanellope had ever heard. Which was pretty hard to do, since she'd heard a lot of scary voices, like that demon voice in the horror movie she and Ralph had watched Halloween night after trick-or-treating.

Taffyta sounded worse than the demon. Her eyes were flashing, and her fists were clenched.

"Yes?" Candlehead said, raising an eyebrow coyly. Vanellope was surprised she was staying so calm under this attack. If Taffyta was looking at Vanellope like that, Vanellope would have ran into the nearest closet she could find.

"Cut the Crunch, Candlehead!" Taffyta hissed. "I'm sick of chasing you around! What does it take for you to forgive me?"

"I told you already." Candlehead shrugged, taking a sip of her soda. "You need to stop caring about yourself so much and treat me as an equal."

"How 'bout this, then?" Taffyta said, pushing Vanellope aside and stealing her seat. "Your favorite color is green, you love My Little Pony, you want to be a horse doctor when you grow up, you still believe fairies are real, your favorite ice cream flavor is mint-chocolate chip, and if you could meet anyone in the world it'd be Justin Bieber."

"Big deal." Candlehead scowled, turning her back to her. "Everyone already knows that stuff."

Taffyta looked frantic. "Well, what about this? You're allergic to bunnies, but you still want one for a pet, you have a birthmark on your elbow that looks like a fish, your most prized possession is your 120 pack of crayons that you keep hidden in your sock drawer, when you get scared at night you watch re-runs of that show your mom likes even though you know you're not supposed to, the perfect birthday present for you would be a trip to NASA so you could moonwalk, and you hate it when people on TV or in commercials ring the doorbell, because you think it's happening in real life!"

"It's just so confusing!" Candlehead exclaimed. "How am I supposed to tell if it's on the TV or if someone is actually at my door?"

Taffyta nodded and smiled.

Candlehead sighed and smiled back.

"So, can we be friends again?" Taffyta said.

Candlehead thought for a moment. "I guess so."

And for the first time in her life, Vanellope saw Taffyta smile-a real, true, genuine smile. The pair hugged and giggled.

"Now c'mon, let's get you away from these losers!" Taffyta smirked, pulling her away.

"Yeah!" Candlehead exclaimed, walking away hand-in-hand with her.

Vanellope rolled her eyes. No matter what happened, some things would never change.


	45. Peppermint Winter

**A/N: You know the drill. **

** This chapter is inspired by the song "Peppermint Winter" by Owl City. It's very lovely. **

**Propser-the-XVII: **Don't feel stupid, I do the same thing!

**SuperGuest: **Yes, Candlehead is an...interesting person...

* * *

Vanellope sat up in bed and stretched. She had just had a weird dream where Ralph had taken her and her class to an arcade where they all became video game characters. It was awesome!

She shivered and huddled the blankets more closely to her. It was getting further into December, and every day felt colder and colder. Vanellope had to trade in her skirts and tights for sweatshirts and pants. She had to wear her jacket, mittens, and scarves every day to school. As much as Vanellope loved Christmas now, she couldn't help but miss the warm days of summer.

Ralph was getting more time off of work lately-not as many people needed to demolish buildings this time of year. So he'd spent a lot of time getting things ready for Christmas. He'd cleaned out the fireplace, something he hadn't done in years, dusted the corners, and dug out some Christmas decorations he had buried in the garage. When they were put up, it made the house look as nice as it did at school.

Vanellope crawled out of bed and over to her closet. She put on her fluffy blue robe Ralph had gotten her and went over to sit at her window seat. It was cold by the window, but she loved to look out over the roofs of all the other houses-it made her feel like she was on top of the world.

However, she wouldn't get the chance to gaze out her window today. Vanellope took one look outside and gasped. "Ralph!" She screamed, rushing out her door and into his room. "Ralph, get up it's an emergency!" She ran over to his bed and started jumping up and down on it. "C'mon, get up!"

"What? What is it!" Ralph exclaimed, sitting up with a look of alarm on his face. He reached over for the picture frame he had on his beside table and held it in the air, looking around wildly.

"You have to come outside!" Vanellope laughed. "C'mon, hurry!"

Ralph set the picture down and followed her, looking longfully back towards his bed. "Alright."

She pulled him by the hand down the stairs and to the living room window. "Look!" She squealed, flinging the two curtains aside.

Tiny, white crystals were falling magically from the sky, glittering and twinkling in the air. They danced and twirled as they fell from the heavens, landing gracefully on the cold earth. Small mountains were already building up, turning the city into a real winter wonderland.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Vanellope breathed, staring at the snow starry-eyed.

Ralph nodded wordlessly. He turned to her. "Do you want to go out?"

Vanellope looked at him anxiously. "Can I?"

Ralph smiled at her. "Of course! Let's go." He helped her put her boots, jacket, mittens, and scarf on,making sure she was bundled up nice and warm.

Vanellope tip toed out the door, looking at the world in awe. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open, taking in all the simple beauty. She had never experienced anything so...grand, so amazing! A snowflake fell right onto her nose, causing her to jump and cry out in fright.

Ralph chuckled as it dissolved, leaving a tiny droplet of water. "Don't worry, it's not going to hurt you." He said, pushing her forward a little.

"I-I knew that." Vanellope stammered, looking embarrassed. "I was just teasing you." She took another step forward towards a big pile of snow. Slipping off her mittens, she held out her hands, staring at them, then at the snow, then back again. Shutting her eyes, she shoved them as far down as she could.

She let off a tiny cry of surprise. It was so cold and wet! She could feel all the tiny particles melting onto her skin, leaving a tingling sensation behind. She opened her eyes and looked down. Her hands had become red and were starting to feel cold, but she didn't care. It felt like her whole body was _alive! _Which was kind of silly when she thought about it, since she was always alive, but that was the best way she could describe it. She smiled and picked up more snow, throwing it above her head and cheering.

She let out a shout of delight and ran all around the yard, her hat falling off in the process. She went to go retrieve it, but decided against it when she felt the snow hitting her head! It felt even funnier than it did with her hands! She could feel it running down her hair and down her neck, tickling her. "This is awesome!" She cheered, jumping around with excitement.

Ralph smiled. It looked like his eyes were getting wet, but it was probably just from all the snow. "Here, let me show you something." He said, wiping them quickly when he saw her watching him.

He ran over to a clean space in the snow and fell over on his back. He then started waving his arms and legs up and down, side-to-side.

"What are you doing Ralph?" Vanellope said, cocking her head to the side.

"Wait a moment!" Ralph laughed. After a couple seconds more, he stood up. "Look!" He said, pointing to the shape he had made in the snow. "It's a snow angel!"

"Cool!" Vanellope exclaimed, falling to the ground to make her own. "How'd you come up with that idea?"

"Oh, these things just come to me, you know." Ralph laughed, laying down beside her to make another one.

"Ralph!" Vanellope squealed, her voice shaking with delight. "The snow is landing on my face!"

"Mine too!" Ralph said, smiling at her.

"And your hair!" Vanellope said, turning to look at him. "You look like an old person!"

Ralph looked up. His hair was blanketed in so many flakes it looked white. "Oh." He said, his cheeks turning red. "I guess I should have worn a hat, huh?"

"No!" Vanellope giggled, standing up to admire her angel. "You look funnier this way!"

"I'll take that as a compliment." Ralph said, getting up and brushing his head off.

Vanellope ran around, shouting and squealing with pure happiness. Looking over, she saw Ralph was bent over, tying the laces on his boots. She looked down at the snow around her mischievously. Creeping over to him, she jumped up and shoved a large ball of snow down his coat.

"Oi!" Ralph cried, standing up and clawing at his back.

Vanellope fell into the snow, clutching her stomach and laughing.

"So you think that's funny, do you?" Ralph said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes!" Vanellope cackled.

"Well, here!" Ralph said, balling up some snow. He threw it over to her, but Vanellope rolled out of the way.

"You just messed with the wrong 8 year-old, old man!" Vanellope said, a playful glint in her eye. She chucked another snowball at him. Before they knew it, the pair had broken out into a full-fledged snowball fight, each getting pummeled in the back, chest, and the occasional unfortunate head-shot.

"Okay, okay-truce!" Ralph said as Vanellope tackled him, holding a snowball above his face threateningly. "You win!"

"Uh huh!" Vanellope giggled, rolling off of him.

She was starting to shiver and shake a bit too much, so after much protest, Ralph brought her inside. He light a fire in the fireplace, casting the room in it's warm, ebony glow. Vanellope bundled up in a quilt, and Ralph made them some hot chocolate, topped off with extra whipped cream, sprinkles, and mints.

Vanellope cuddled closer to him and watched as the snow came down. "Thank you Ralph." She whispered.

"For what?" Ralph asked, looking curiously at her.

She sighed and rested her head against him. "For everything."

"You're welcome, kid." Ralph said, ruffling her damp hair.

Vanellope took another sip of her hot chocolate, taking in the sugar sweet mix of cocoa and mint. Finally, winter had started and Christmas was only a blink away.


	46. The Better Person

**A/N: So when I was working on this chapter, I looked over my last few ones and realized that they don't line up with the December 2012 calendar! Argh! *smashes jawbreaker* I'm really mad at myself now! Let's just ignore that little tidbit and pretend that there was another mystical week in December last year, shall we?**

**samm10: **In chapter 39, Mary just said something basically along the lines of, "Some people can be so inconsiderate, blah blah blah..." So yeah, it wasn't that essential to the plot. It wasn't like, "Oh, she's so stupid, how about you get married to me, Felix?" Then he'd be in some deep trouble!

**azndragon767: **In my head, Ralph and Vanellope live in a two-story, small house, in a pretty average neighborhood. Don't feel stupid, with all the info I gave they could have lived in a glorified outhouse.

**dark demon 122: **Yes, it is! It's so weird to describe snow when I haven't been around it in months!

**Super Guest: **You never know what Candlehead could do! Duhn, duhn, duuuuuhn! * lightning flashes with creepy organ music *

* * *

One would assume that after 3 months of torture, a crushing lose, and a best friend fall-out, one would rebuke their previous actions and become a better person. But no. Taffyta was back where she wanted to be. Well, minus the fact that Vanellope was still more popular than her.

After the whole fiasco with Candlehead, Taffyta had been on her toes, not wanting to lose her again. But she still found ways to harass Vanellope, like "accidentally" knocking her stuff off her desk, or commenting that she'd thought she saw Vanellope's new boots at the pet shop. It was petty, yes, but still very irritating.

Taffyta just couldn't let it go already. And Vanellope was getting pretty sick of it. How long was this going to continue? Yeah, Vanellope was more popular than Taffyta. You think by now she would be over it. But _no, _she had to take out whatever pent up anger she had on her. Which brought up another thing, _what _would Taffyta have to be angry about? That Rancis didn't like her? After all, she had a ginormous mansion, plenty of clothes, makeup, jewelry, cute clothes, _and _a cell phone! And it's not like she was super ugly or anything.

So why was Taffyta so grumpy all the time? Even when she got what she wanted, she was still unhappy. Some people were just so weird.

"Gob Vanellope, where did you get your hair done?" Taffyta asked one morning when Vanellope sat down. Candlehead and Adorabeezle were still in the hallway, so Taffyta didn't have to worry about someone overhearing. "The monkey exhibit at the zoo?"

"Very funny." Vanellope said, rolling her eyes. "Tell me, did you get yours from the wig shop or an old Halloween costume? I can't really tell."

Taffyta scowled. "At least I don't have chipmunk teeth."

Vanellope felt her face go hot. "Neither do I!" She exclaimed. Yes, Vanellope had a _teensy _bit of an overbite, but it wasn't _that _bad! It wasn't her fault her two front teeth were longer than all her other ones!

Taffyta could tell she'd pressed a nerve. "Yeah you do!" She laughed, examining her nails. "They're like a-"

"Morning Taffyta!" Candlehead said cheerfully, coming up and sitting down.

"Hey Candlehead!" Taffyta said, straightening up immediately. "How's it going?"

Vanellope found it interesting that as uncaring and insensitive Taffyta was, she still cared so much about keeping Candlehead at her side. It was like she couldn't function properly without knowing that someone had her back. It made sense, in a way. In a weird, twisted way. Taffyta had never even said. "Sorry," to Candlehead. Yes, she'd obviously proven that she knew and cared more about Candlehead than the average joe, but she never came out and said the actual words. Come to think of it, Vanellope never had actually heard Taffyta say the phrase, "I'm sorry." Only that one time way back in October when she insisted that she _wasn't_ sorry for knocking Vanellope down in capture the flag. But still. That didn't count.

"Well, I hung up my backpack." Candlehead said, looking confused. "But we rode the bus here together...so nothing else happened in between..."

Taffyta burst out laughing. "You are so funny!" She exclaimed, slapping herself on the knee.

Candlehead looked side-to-side worriedly. "Thank you...?"

"You're welcome." Taffyta smirked, pulling out her compact mirror and examining herself. "Ugh, I have like, the biggest pores on the planet." She complained.

"No you don't!" Candlehead insisted. "I think you have the best pores ever!"

Ever since getting back together with Taffyta, Candlehead hadn't been as cruel as she used to be to Vanellope, but she was acting like they'd never were friends at any point, and that Vanellope was invisible. Which was nice in...a way, but mostly awkward. Like Candlehead hadn't hung around her every day for a week. That she'd _never_ slept over at her house-for a whole, entire night, no less!

Nope. Vanellope just wasn't there.

At lunch time, Vanellope was headed towards her table when Taffyta "bumped" into her, knocking her tray, and her food, to the floor. "Oops!" Taffyta said, raising her dainty hand to her mouth. "Sorry!"

Vanellope glared at her. "You did that on purpose!"

Taffyta gasped. "Who? _Me?_ I would never do something like that _intentionally_! Guess you're going to have to go the back of the line and get some more! Ooh, and you better hurry, it's getting pretty long!" She added, looking over with a satisfied smirk on her face.

Vanellope turned to see that the hot lunch line was stretching all the way out into the hallway. By the time she got her food, recess would probably be over already! She'd spend it all getting and eating her lunch! And her, Rancis, Gloyd, and Swizzle had plans to have a snowball fight today! So much for that. She gave Taffyta a cold look but walked away with her head held high, not willing to let Taffyta win.

And this was only the beginning of Taffyta's pranks. She tripped her, stepped on her things, laughed at her, mocked her...it was never ending. Vanellope just couldn't wait for when school would let out for Christmas and New Year's. Maybe the holidays would fill Taffyta with a better spirit.

"Why does she have to be so...so...AGH!" Vanellope exclaimed later that afternoon as her and Ralph shoveled the driveway. She kicked some snow, sending it flying into the air.

"Are you sure you don't want to tell Miss Mary?" Ralph said, looking at her concernedly.

"Yes." Vanellope said firmly. "I'm not going to let Taffyta win."

"But that's not letting her win!" Ralph explained exasperatedly. "If you don't do anything-"

"Ralph!" Vanellope sighed, looking over her shoulder at him. "I know what I'm doing, okay? I have a plan!"

Ralph raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

Vanellope paused, a fake smile plastered on her face. "Um...It's a secret."

"_Vanellope!" _

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Vanellope said, picking up some snow with her shovel and tossing it aside. "But I can handle this on my own! I don't need anyone's help to deal with a little bleach-blonde booger-face."

"Vanellope, I'm starting to worry about you." Ralph said, heaving some more snow out of his way.

"Well, don't, okay? I'll be fine!" Vanellope assured him. "I'm used to all her dumb jokes by now, anyways."

Ralph sighed. "Alright. But if things get any worse-"

"They won't!"

And she was right. Sort of. Things didn't get _worse, _per say, they just happened more and more frequently. Taffyta seemed to be trying to squeeze as many pranks as she could into one day. This brought Vanellope back to her revenge plans from October, like shoving her into a cake and all that other good stuff. Maybe...just maybe...if she did that, Taffyta would finally leave her alone! But Ralph...he wouldn't be happy with her. At all.

The whole thing was just so frustrating. She was torn between doing what she wanted to do, and what she knew would make her the better person. One time she was behind Taffyta in the hot lunch line getting her dessert, and Taffyta was talking loudly to Candlehead about how sweatshirts were _so _"out of style" and that whoever still wore any was a "moronic disaster."

"Wouldn't you agree, Vanellope?" Taffyta smiled, turning towards her.

Vanellope had the biggest urge imaginable to grab the back of Taffyta's dumb head and shove it into the cream pies she was standing in front of.

But she didn't. She bit her tongue and instead acted like Taffyta wasn't so obviously talking about her. "Yes." She said through gritted teeth. "I would."

Taffyta had giggled and given her a proud look.

_Be the better person! _Vanellope recited in her head. _Be the better person! _

But it was so hard! Everybody always told her, "You have to love your enemies," and "Treat other people the way you want to be treated." But that was so much easier said than done. How could she love Taffyta when she was so mean to her? And Taffyta was already being mean to her, so didn't that technically give her the permission to mean back?

Finally Friday came. Next week was going to be the last week of school until they got out for Christmas and New Year's. If you really thought about it, next week was their last week of the school for the whole year! But that sounded funny to say, since they still had school come January.

Right now it was 1st period, reading class, and the students were all working on their Christmas stories when Miss Mary walked up to the front of the room and clapped her hands together. "Children!" She called, startling Swizzle, who had been taking a nap. "I have some fun news to tell you! So listen up!"

The kids all set their pencils down and looked at each other, wondering what was going on.

"As you know, next week is our last week before Christmas vacation, so to celebrate the holidays, we're going to be having our own Secret Santa program!" Miss Mary squealed, looking overjoyed.

Vanellope furrowed her brow. Secret Santa? What was that? Did they play hide n' seek in Santa costumes, or something?

"For those of you who don't know what that is," Miss Mary went on, "Secret Santa is when you get to give each other Christmas presents each day anonymously. I'll put all your names in a bowl, and then I'll go around, and you'll pick out one of your classmate's names. Then each day next week, you'll bring whosoever name you got a present each day. You won't know who has your name, and the person you have won't know that you have them. Then on Friday, when we have our big Christmas party, your Secret Santa will be revealed!" She smiled widely at them all. "Doesn't that sound like fun?"

The students turned to each other and began talking excitedly. "This is going to be really cool!" Adorabeezle said, smiling at Vanellope.

Vanellope nodded. Unlike the election, this actually sounded enjoyable.

"Well, do you want me to tell you who you have now?" Miss Mary asked.

"Yes!" The kids all screamed at once, bouncing on the edge of their seats.

"Alright." Miss Mary said, looking pleased. She walked over to her classroom closet and got out a big yellow bowl, shaking it. The soft rattle of slips of paper sliding up against each other resounded from inside, and the class shivered with anticipation.

One by one, Miss Mary walked over to each student, holding out the bowl as they stuck their hand in and pulled out somebody's name. When the kids saw who they got, they would either smile, nod, or frown silently.

Unfortunately, Vanellope's cluster of desks was in the back of the room, so they would have to choose last. Vanellope bounced up and down impatiently.

Finally, Miss Mary reached them. Taffyta reached her hand into the bowl and pulled out a slip of paper. She unfolded it and read it. Vanellope could tell she wasn't pleased with who she'd gotten, unless there was some other reason for her to crumble up the slip in her hands, scowling darkly.

Candlehead was next. She reached into the bowl and pulled out the 3rd to last slip. She responded opposite to Taffyta. "Yes!" She exclaimed, holding out her hand and high-fiving herself. It would have worked, except her hand missed her other one, causing her to almost fall over.

Adorabeezle picked out her slip, looking satisfied with whoever she got.

Vanellope's heart sped up as she reached into the bowl and pulled out the last slip of paper. She unfolded it with shaking fingers, biting down on her lip.

_Taffyta Muttonfudge. _

The world was full of too many cruel surprises sometimes.

"Well, that's that!" Miss Mary trilled, walking back to the front of the room. "I hope you're all happy with who you got!"

"I feel bad for whoever Vanellope has." Taffyta whispered to Candlehead. "She'll probably just get them some of her ugly hair clips."

Vanellope glared at her. Screw being the better person. If Taffyta wanted to play hard ball, she'd give it to her.

Revenge was going to be sweet.


	47. If At First You Don't Succeed

Vanellope knew that what she was planning was bad. It was naughty-list worthy. She was sure to get coal in her stocking this year.

But...

She couldn't stop herself! She wanted to put an end to this Taffyta business once and for all! And okay, she wasn't going to be _cruel. _It wasn't like Vanellope was going to lead her into a dark alley and smack her upside the head with a baseball bat. She wasn't _crazy_! She just wanted Taffyta to get a taste of her own medicine, and that was it. And maybe embarrass her too, but that was definitely it!

Part of her wished she could be more like Taffyta. Only in the sense that she could dish out bad things to people and not feel bad about it. It wasn't a very nice thing to want, but Vanellope was becoming frustrated at herself for being so...weak!

_Do you _really _think this is the right thing to do? _Her brain said, as she wrapped up Taffyta's first "present." _You shouldn't sink to her level! Be the better person! _

"Well, I tried that." Vanellope muttered aloud. "And look what happened? Nothing! I deserve to stand up for myself!"

_But you're not-_

"Just let me do what I want!" Vanellope exclaimed, slapping a piece of tape on the wrapping paper angrily.

"You okay in there?" Ralph called from outside her door.

Vanellope hadn't told Ralph who she had for her Secret Santa. "Well, do we need to go out and buy stuff for them?" Ralph had asked.

"Oh no." Vanellope had said, smiling. "I was just thinking of...making something."

"That's nice of you." Ralph said, smiling at her.

"Yeah." Vanellope had said, getting a guilty feeling in her stomach. Why did she have to be such a good person? She hated to brag, but most of the time, Vanellope _tried_ to be nice to people. And if she ever was mean (like shoving the snow down Ralph's coat) she didn't mean it seriously! But she was just so sick of Taffyta. Vanellope had let Nancy walk all over her, but she wasn't going to do the same this time around. Vanellope was lucky, Ralph had saved her from the first situation. But unless Ralph had some secret plan to move to France, she wasn't going to be leaving R. Moore Elementary any time soon.

"Yeah!" Vanellope called from inside her room. "I'm just peachy."

"Alright." He said.

Vanellope smiled down at her gift. It was perfect. Oh yes, revenge was such a good thing. She reached over to pull out her second present, laying it down in a square of wrapping paper.

"Hey Vanellope, what do you want for-" Ralph opened up her door and paused, trying to process the sight he saw before him. Vanellope was sitting in the middle of her bedroom floor, bundles of wrapping paper, tissue paper, and tape around her. On her right was a trash can, it's contents spilling to the floor. Right in front of her was a rotten banana peel, ready for being wrapped. "What are you _doing?" _Ralph exclaimed, putting his hands on his hips.

"Ah...wrapping my presents?" Vanellope said, smiling queasily at him.

Ralph groaned and put his face in his hands. "Let me guess, you're Taffyta's Secret Santa, aren't you?"

"Maybe...sort of...yes?" Vanellope smiled.

Ralph looked up at her. "Why were you going to give her a banana peel?"

"Just to teach her a lesson, that's all!" Vanellope said, clasping her hands together and giving Ralph her best puppy dog pout. "You know, so she'll leave me alone! And so I can laugh at her, and she'll feel all the pain she's given me!"

Ralph sighed and walked over to her. "Listen to me, Vanellope." He said, picking her up and sitting her on his lap. "Giving Taffyta all that stuff isn't going to make her be nice to you, trust me, it's going to do just the opposite."

"But I'm just giving her what she is!" Vanellope protested, craning her neck to look up at him. "Garbage!"

"I'll give you points for being witty," Ralph snorted. "But still, you can't go around doing bad stuff to people just because they do bad stuff to you. Then it'll never stop, and you'll just..." He trailed off. "Believe me, I've dealt with this stuff personally, and it never works."

"But that's not fair!" Vanellope grumbled, glaring down. "Why can't I just do whatever I want? If she's mean to me, I'm going to be mean back! Then she'll see that if she messes around with me, I'll do the same, and she'll bug off!"

"Vanellope," Ralph said, "You have to listen to me, okay? I don't want you to become like her, being mean to people just because you don't like them."

"But I-"

"And if you can last this last week before Christmas without being mean," Ralph continued, "I'll take you to that pizza arcade place you wanted to go to."

"The one from the commercial!?" Vanellope gasped. A couple of days ago, Vanellope had been watching TV when she'd seen a commercial for this brand-new arcade they were opening. There were going to be bumper cars, laser tag, and classic console games. Ever since then Vanellope had been begging for Ralph to take her there.

"Yes, the one from the commercial." Ralph nodded, smiling down at her.

Vanellope was full of so much conflict. She still wanted to get her revenge on Taffyta, but that arcade looked so much fun! "Grrr!" She muttered aloud. "I guess I could _try _to be nice." She grouched, crossing her arms. "But it won't be easy, especially since I tried it already!"

"Well, can you promise to try again? For me?" Ralph said, putting his silly version of a puppy pout in her face.

"Fine!" Vanellope huffed, pushing his face away playfully. "But that arcade better be awesome!"

"I'm proud of you kid." Ralph said, ruffling her hair and getting up.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Vanellope sighed. "But, can I at least give her _one _banana peel? Or even an egg? Or just a normal banana?"

"No." Ralph chuckled, walking out the door and down the stairs. "You can not."

"A tomato? A dirty sock? Or, how 'bout a-"

"No, Vanellope!"

Vanellope sat in her spot, looking all around her room. What should she give Taffyta? Vanellope wished she could have chosen Candlehead. Then she could have just given her all those girly movies she had in the closet. But Taffyta on the other hand, was going to be more difficult. As princess-y as Taffyta was, Vanellope had a hard time imagining that she would enjoy watching _Barbie. _She probably would think it was "lame."

Vanellope stomped over to her closet and searched around. There had to be something in there! Finally, she came upon her box of craft utensils. She opened it up and took a peek inside. If she was in a cartoon, a light bulb would have gone off above her head. "Perfect!" She whispered, taking the supplies out.

* * *

There was an excited chatter throughout the third grade as they got ready to do their first Secret Santa exchange Monday morning. They'd all close their eyes, put their heads down, and one by one go up to Miss Mary and give her their present. Then Miss Mary would walk around and place the presents to each appropriate desk.

Right now, Miss Mary was walking around passing out all the presents. They had to wait for everyone to have their present at their desk to open them, something that wasn't too great for Vanellope, her being as impatient as she was. Her present was sitting on her desk already, wrapped in pretty blue paper. It was small, but she didn't really care. She was just so excited!

"I wonder who my Secret Santa is." Candlehead mused, looking around the room. "Do you think it could be Swizzle? That would be so romantic!"

"I highly doubt it." Taffyta said, looking bored. "_My_ Secret Santa better get me something good."

Vanellope sat there uncomfortably, not saying anything. She'd spent all night making Taffyta's present, and it had come out pretty good if she did say so herself. Vanellope would have loved it if someone had given it to her. But then again, Taffyta and Vanellope didn't really have the same tastes. At all.

Finally, Miss Mary finished handing out the presents. "Alright children." She said, smiling at them. For the last week before Christmas, she had ditched her usual set of violet, fuchsia, and lilac cardigans for seasonal red and green ones. "You can open up your presents now!"

The students all let of cries of glee as wrapping and tissue paper flew into the air. Vanellope tore away the blue shiny material covering hers and took a look. Her Secret Santa had gotten her a small toy car. "Cool!" She exclaimed, holding it up to take a look. It was very detailed, and it said on the package that it could wind up and drive by itself! Whoever her Secret Santa was, Vanellope automatically decided that she would be their best friend forever and ever.

Candlehead squealed. Her Secret Santa had gotten her a miniature pony toy. "It's perfect!" She exclaimed.

"Why do you want a pony?" Taffyta questioned, pulling the paper off of her gift.

"Um, no reason." Candlehead said, her cheeks turning pink as she looked towards the floor.

Vanellope crossed her fingers in anticipation as she watched Taffyta unwrap her present.

"Um, what is this?" Taffyta said, holding it between her fingers like it was that banana peel Vanellope _was _going to give her.

Candlehead peered over. "Ooh! That's pretty!" She said in awe. "I think it's a pen!"

Vanellope had used her supply of duct tape and some YouTube videos to make a rose out of duct tape and attach it to the top of a pen. The rose was a pretty pink color and the pen was wrapped in some fun rainbow tape. It had taken her a long time to make, specifically the rose part.

"I don't want a pen!" Taffyta scowled, dropping down on her desk. "What kind of dumb present is that anyways?"

"Hey!" Adorabeezle exclaimed. "Your Secret Santa could hear you saying that!"

"Um, not caring?" Taffyta said, holding up her hand. "Maybe then if they hear me they'll know to get me something _better _next time."

Vanellope's heart sank as she went through a quick flash of emotions. At first she was sad. After all, that rose was not easy! And she'd even stuck a little jewel in the middle of it. Ralph had congratulated her on doing such a good job. And now after all that work, Taffyta still wasn't pleased. Thinking of that started to make her mad then. She glared at the floor and tried to keep calm. _Don't forget about the arcade, _she reminded herself. _Just four more days. _

The next day, Vanellope tried something different. Taffyta liked fashion and jewelry and stuff, so why not give her something like that? She spent Monday night crafting a pretty bracelet out of pink beads, Taffyta's favorite color.

But when it was time to open up presents on Tuesday, Taffyta was still not pleased. "What the heck?" She exclaimed, looking at the bracelet. "It looks like a 2 year-old made this."

"I don't know," Candlehead said, looking at it. "It's kind of-"

Taffyta cast her a daring glare.

"Weird." Candlehead finished quickly, looking upset with herself.

Vanellope had gotten another toy car, to go with her first one, from her Secret Santa. She tried to be happy about it, but she just was too fed up with Taffyta. She thought about talking to Rancis about what kind of stuff Taffyta would like, he being her best friend and all, but Miss Mary had strictly emphasized not sharing with others who you had, and Vanellope couldn't think of a way to talk to Rancis without being too obvious.

So she tried again. On Wednesday she brought something that she felt couldn't go wrong-a bag of candy. After all, who didn't like _candy? _It was the best thing in the whole world!

But Taffyta just dismissed it again, saying something about how she had candy at home already, and that her Secret Santa really needed a brain scan.

Vanellope clenched her fists under the table. Oh, how she wanted to give her that banana peel. Not even that anymore. She wanted to put a frog in a box and give to her. Or a fish. Or a snake. Just something, anything. She chuckled under her breath as she pictured Taffyta opening a big box, only to have a frog jump out and onto her face.

Grr. Why did she have to promise Ralph?

"I'm starting to really hate this Secret Santa thing." Vanellope said, sitting with Gloyd, Swizzle, and Rancis at recess. It was snowing really hard, so everyone was cooped up inside. The four of them were currently in Miss Mary's room, over by the reading corner. Swizzle was playing some sort of game on his Nintendo, while Gloyd watched. Rancis was finishing up a puzzle he had been working on, asking Vanellope occasionally if she thought a piece went here or there.

"Why?" Gloyd asked, taking a quick break from staring at the screen to glance at her.

"Because!" Vanellope said, putting together two puzzle pieces and passing them to Rancis. "I don't really like who I have."

"Do you have me?" Swizzle asked, looking at her suspiciously. "'Cause today I got this dumb card with all these hearts on it."

"Uh, no!" Vanellope exclaimed. "Why would I give you _that?" _

Swizzle shrugged. "I don't know."

"Mine has just gotten me normal stuff." Rancis said, scowling down at the puzzle frustratedly. "Like candy and cards."

"I think I have a pretty good idea who has me." Gloyd said, taking a note out of his pocket and tossing it to them. "I got this with my present today."

Vanellope and Rancis looked at it.

_ Here's another dumb present. Have a bad day. _

Vanellope snorted. "Let me guess, Taffyta?"

"Probably." Gloyd said, rolling his eyes and folding the note back up.

"What kind of stuff does Taffyta like anyways?" Vanellope asked casually, not making eye contact with anyone.

"Herself." Swizzle laughed.

"Basically." Rancis said.

"And mirrors." Gloyd added. "You can't forget _that." _

Vanellope thought. _Mirrors? _Suddenly, she came up with the perfect idea.

That afternoon, she asked Ralph to take her to the store. She bought something she _knew _Taffyta would love: a compact. It was bright pink and had four shades of blush inside. She went home and decorated it with sparkly jewels. It looked so pretty! Vanellope was sure this time it would work.

"I already have a million of these!" Taffyta frowned, looking annoyed. "Anyone who knows anything would know _that!" _

Vanellope saw Adorabeezle roll her eyes. She almost did the same.

"Now remember, tomorrow is our last day of school before Christmas break, so instead of having History class at the end of the day, we're going to have our party! Make sure to bring your Secret Santa something really nice!"

"They'd better." Taffyta muttered. "I mean, I seriously think whoever has me is on drugs or something. You'd have to be to think any of those things were good presents."

Vanellope took a deep breath. That frog idea was so tempting. _So _tempting. She decided to talk it over with Coach Calhoun that afternoon after gym class.

"Well," Coach said, looking conflicted. "I guess if she's really being that bad, then she kind of deserves it, but you really shouldn't if you promised your Dad..."

"Ugh, I thought you would say that." Vanellope sighed, sitting next to her on the bleachers. The other kids had already left the gym and headed off to lunch, but Vanellope was willing to wait. She just wanted some advice.

"The world is a messed up place." Calhoun sighed, leaning back.

"Tell me about it." Vanellope said, doing the same. She turned to look at her. "So, what are you doing for Christmas?"

"Nothing." Coach Calhoun said, looking down awkwardly.

"What! Really?" Vanellope exclaimed, her eyes wide. "How can you do _nothing? _That's so boring!"

Calhoun shrugged. "I dunno. I'm just not a holiday person."

"Are you going to do anything with Felix?" Vanellope asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Why would I do something with him?" Calhoun stammered, looking over at her.

"Ah, no reason!" Vanellope said quickly, smiling at her nervously.

"That's what I thought." Calhoun said, smirking at her.

Vanellope giggled.

* * *

That evening, Vanellope walked around the house blankly, having no clue what to give Taffyta for her final present.

"Hey kiddo." Ralph said, walking up to her.

Vanellope was currently in the kitchen, staring into the refrigerator. "Hey," She mumbled.

"You got a problem?" Ralph asked.

"Yes." Vanellope groaned, sitting on the tiled floor. "Tomorrow's the last day of school, and I have to get Taffyta something really, really good so she'll just shut up already, and she's hated all the other things I've given her, and I just don't know what to do!" She peeked up. "You got any ideas?"

Ralph sat down next to her and thought. "Well," He said after a long period of time, "You have to give her something that she won't be able to hate, because it's something so awesome everyone loves it."

"I already tried candy." Vanellope interrupted, looking dismayed.

"No, you should make something-so she'll see how much hard work you put into it." Ralph explained.

Vanellope thought and thought and thought. Something she could make...that was impossible to hate...

"I've got it!" She finally squealed, jumping up. "It'll be perfect!"

"Alright!" Ralph said, fist-bumping her.

"I'm going to need your help, though." Vanellope added, putting on an apron. "This is going to take the best baking skills we have."

Ralph gulped. "Vanellope, you want _me _to help you bake?"

Vanellope raised an eyebrow. "Oh no, not you Ralph, I was talking to the plant." She said sarcastically. "Yes, you! Now c'mon, move your molasses!" She slipped a apron over his large head and smiled. "I know we can do it if we work together!"

"I really hope so kid!" Ralph smiled, looking nervous. "I really do."

* * *

**A/N: I love how you guys split up into those devils and angels on Vanellope's shoulders. For those devils, don't worry, Vanellope is not done yet. That's all I'm going to say. **

**And that's there's only going to be 52 chapters, just so you're prepared. **

**Groudon202: **Hopefully by the time this is done, it will be full of many meats, keep faith!


	48. Today, Tomorrow and Forever

"Can I speak to you for a moment, Tammy?" Felix asked, peeking his head into her office.

Tamora was sitting on top of her desk, filling out some sort of paperwork. Her head was bent over, and her brow was furrowed. Her hair hung over her eyes, which were full of annoyance, but she brightened up immediately when she saw Felix at the door. "Of course!" She said, setting the clipboard down.

"So..." Felix said, trying to keep his cool. He was starting to realize that he would never get over that anxious feeling he got whenever he was around her. "Whatchya up to?"

She sighed. "Paperwork. You know, since I'm an 'official' part of the staff now."

Felix smiled. "Well, I'm glad you're staying."

Tamora was silent for a moment. "Me too." She finally said, looking at him with a half-smile. She paused for a moment, looking at him with a funny look on her face. "So...you're going to Georgia, right?" She finally said.

"Yeah." Felix said, his mind going fuzzy and his heart sinking slightly. He had forgotten about that for a moment. "My...my brothers were really disappointed that I couldn't make it out for Thanksgiving...so..."

"Yeah, of course." She said, nodding towards the floor.

"If I could, I would stay!" He protested, remembering what she had said before about being alone. "I don't...I don't want you to be alone on Christmas."

"That's nice of you pint-sized." Tamora said, looking touched.

There was an uncomfortable silence as they both stood there, blushing and not knowing what to say to each other.

"So I-"

"I just wanted-"

They both laughed at each other. "You can go first." Felix said.

"No, no, you came in to see me." Tamora said, her cheeks pink. "So shoot."

"Well," Felix began, clearing his throat nervously, "I...I just wanted to give you a present, you know, it being Christmastime and all."

"Really?" Tamora exclaimed, looking surprised. "You didn't have to do that, Fix-It."

"I know." Felix said, handing over the prettily wrapped box to her. He tried to keep his hands from shaking but it wasn't working too well. "I wanted to."

Tamora looked down at the box in a loss for words. It was wrapped with golden wrapping paper, and finished off with a large, glittering bow. "Th-thank you." She finally stammered.

"You're welcome." Felix said, coming up to sit next to her gingerly. "Now go ahead, open it." His heart beat nervously and his cheeks were a bright pink.

Tamora pulled off the ribbon and paper slowly. She opened the box and carefully pulled out her present.

It was a beautiful snow globe, made of delicate glass and china. Inside of it was a grand carousel, with shiny, golden horses attached to rods made of jewels. Sparkly crystals swirled around mystically as she shook it gently. If you turned a little notch on the side a soothing lullaby would play, making the whole object even more magical.

Her bright blue eyes seemed to light up even more at the sight of it. "Thank you." She whispered, full of awe.

"Do you like it?" Felix asked nervously. He had spent hours and hours in the gift shop, going through every antique, trinket, and novelty they had in the whole place, scavenging for just the perfect thing for her.

"No." She said shortly.

"What?!" Felix exclaimed, his face pale. Great! He knew he should have gotten the one with the lake scene inside-not a dumb _carousel! _She wasn't a child after all! He couldn't believe how stupid he'd-

"I _love _it." She said, grinning at him.

Felix blushed and sighed. "That's good." He said, laughing at himself.

Tammy laughed too, pulling down his hat over her eyes. She put the snow globe back into its protective box and placed it on her desk.

Felix gazed at her, his mind completely blank now. She was just so...so..._perfect! _Her laugh, her hair, her face, her eyes, the way she was so strong, and yet so loving. He could feel the honeyglows burning in his cheeks something awful.

"So, was there something else that you needed?" She said, her voice floating into his ears and startling him.

"Oh yes!" Felix said. He took off his cap and got off her desk to stand in front of her. He dug into his back pocket and pulled out a silver envelope. It was bright and shiny, and he had written her name on it neatly. Felix and handed it over to her.

"What are you inviting me to now, Fix-It?" She said, smirking at him and opening it.

"Well, even though we can't do anything for Christmas, on New Year's Eve, I'm going to be having a party, at my house!" Felix explained. "There's going to be lots of people there, like some of the staff, and even some students and their parents, and there'll be food and music, and talking, and we might even do a gift exchange, but I'm still not sure about that, and we can count down to midnight, and I just wanted you to come! You know, if you wanted to. I don't want to _force _you or anything. I mean, I'm sure you have loads of other plans, but if you just wanted to stop by, that'd be nice. Or even just drive past, that'd be good, too! Or even just call! I could just talk to you on the phone, if you couldn't make it for some reason, or if you just didn't feel like coming. Or I could just go to your house, if you wanted that! I doubt anyone would notice that I was gone anyways, it really wouldn't-"

If Felix had blinked, he would have missed it. Tamora leaned down and kissed him briefly on the cheek, leaving a marvelous tingling sensation behind. "I'd love to come." She smiled.

Felix stood there, shaking on the spot. His mind was full of meaningless fluff, and he felt dizzy. "O-okay." He giggled incoherently, practically floating off the ground. "Th-that's good."

He heard her chuckling as he turned towards the door, but barely. _She...she had just...did that really...? _He laughed. _Jiminy Jaminy! _"Merry Christmas!" He said joyously, smiling like an idiot at her.

"You too, Felix." Tammy said, her cheeks almost as pink as his were now. Even she looked surprised with herself, but just as happy.

Felix stumbled out the door, nearly knocking over a rack of basketballs in the process. He headed towards the front entrance, whistling and twirling around.

"Felix!" Gene called, walking up to him and waving. "Why so happy? Is it because you got my RSVP to your party? I can come, you know."

"That's fantastic!" Felix squealed, hugging Gene. "Really, really fantastic!"

"Are you okay, Felix?" Gene asked, looking at him cautiously.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Felix said, hiccuping. "The world is just a beautiful place, that's all! Wouldn't you agree?"

"I...suppose." Gene said, looking warily at him.

"Happy holidays!" Felix said, tipping his cap to Gene as he headed out the front doors. "Happy, happy ones! Today, tomorrow, and forever!" He squealed and opened the door, letting in a blast of cold air.

Gene stood there in bewilderment as Felix left, not knowing what to say. "Well, that was unusual." He finally huffed.

Just then, Tamora walked out, whistling as well. She was smiling, and had a rosy look in her cheeks. "Have a nice day!" She said merrily to Gene, waving to him. She patted him on the head as she walked out, looking just as silly as Felix had.

Gene stood there, completely befuddled. "I need a drink." He finally muttered, walking back into his office.


	49. Chocolate, Cake, and the Irate

**A/N: **Over 500 reviews! * Puts hands on cheeks * Whoa! Thank you guys! * eats all your brownies and cookies *

**LunasLullaby: **Aw! I'm glad you like the story! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

**LittleMissPanda84: **Owl City is the best! * swoons *

* * *

Vanellope trudged through the deep snow up to the front steps of R. Moore Elementary, holding Taffyta's present protectively in her mitten-clad hands. The cold wind nipped at her nose and almost blew her hat clean off her head. Why did she choose to wear her skirt today? It was probably a million degrees in the negative!

Well, okay, maybe not a _million, _but it was still really cold!

Bill, the school's janitor, was doing his best to keep the sidewalk clear and shoveled, but he wasn't the fastest, and by the time he finished shoveling one section, the previous one would be covered with another layer of snow. Vanellope could easily sense his vexation at this, as he turned around, his eyes widening to the biggest Vanellope had ever seen them (which still wasn't that big), then narrowing again as he headed back to re-shovel the sidewalk, mumbling and grumbling.

"Morning So-um-Bill!" Vanellope said, catching herself. The kids at school had teasingly nicknamed him Sour Bill, on account of the fact that he was so grumpy all the time.

Bill nodded mutely, looking pretty bored as usual.

Vanellope walked into school and headed towards the third-grade hallway. She took a quick detour to Felix's classroom and walked inside, where Felix was sitting at his desk. "Ralph and I got your invitation in the mail yesterday." She said, skipping over to him. "And he said we can come!"

"That's great!" Felix exclaimed, smiling at her.

"So who else is coming?" Vanellope asked, swinging off of some of the fourth-graders desks.

"Let's see..." Felix looked up and thought. "Well, I invited your classmates and their families..."

"Great." Vanellope muttered sarcastically.

"And some of the other teachers will be there, like Miss Mary, and-"

"_Tamora?" _Vanellope teased, giggling at him.

"Yes." Felix said, blushing furiously. "She'll be there too."

"Well, I can't wait!" Vanellope said, heading towards the door. "It sounds like it's going to be a pretty sweet deal."

"Tell Ralph I said 'Merry Christmas!" Felix called behind her.

"Okay!" Vanellope said cheerily, walking out. She went over to her hook and hung up her jacket and backpack.

"I like your outfit." Crumbelina said admiringly, who was hanging up her coat as well.

"Thanks." Vanellope said, looking down self-consciously. She was wearing a cute red and green plaid skirt with a red sweater. Ralph had helped her put mint barrettes in her hair and she wore her signature mismatched tights. Ralph had joked that she better avoid standing under mistletoe, because all the boys would be lining up.

Crumbelina nodded and headed inside the classroom, carrying her Secret Santa present. Vanellope followed close behind.

When she walked inside the classroom, she could tell how exciting today was going to be. Students were talking to each other with fervor, all decked out in red and green décor.

"I got this dress from New York." Taffyta was bragging. "It's an original _Chanel_."

"Wow!" Candlehead exclaimed, her eyes wide and innocent-looking. "It's so pretty!"

"I know." Taffyta smirked, examining her perfectly manicured nails.

Vanellope rolled her eyes. She always thought people who cared about brands were so silly. What did it matter who made your clothes? As long as you liked them, that was all that should matter.

She went over and handed her present to Miss Mary, then sat at her desk, receiving her daily snarky glare from Taffyta. Vanellope ignored her and turned her attention to the rest of the room. There was a long table in the front of the room, where some plates and cups sat. Vanellope guessed this was going to be full of food later. Besides the Secret Santa presents, Miss Mary had sent an e-mail to all the parents asking if they could bring some food to contribute to the party. Vanellope had been busy making Taffyta's present, so she had just brought some potato chips.

"Are you excited to find out who your Secret Santa is?" Adorabeezle asked Vanellope.

"I guess so." Vanellope shrugged. Her Secret Santa had gotten her pretty good stuff. Besides the two toy race cars, she had gotten a whole bag of candy and a special travel case for her RV1000. It was pretty common knowledge that Vanellope loved racing, so her Secret Santa could be anyone. "I have no idea who I have."

"Same." Adorabeezle said, looking around. "Yesterday I got these pretty earrings from mine." She titled her ears to show her.

Vanellope peered closer to see that they were small, colorful, popsicles. A little off-season, but still cute. "Sweet." She smiled.

"Yeah." Adorabeezle agreed, sitting back.

"Mine better get me something good for once." Taffyta said, coming to sit down in her desk. "I'm sick of all these stupid things I've been getting."

Vanellope almost opened her mouth to say that Taffyta should be happy that she was getting _anything, _but then the bell rang. The students all sat down, ready to begin class. Vanellope sighed. She just wanted it to be the end of the day. How was she supposed to wait all day for the party? She just wanted to see Taffyta's reaction. After all, she had worked _so hard _to please her, it was about time she got something right for once. She'd kept every insult down, resisted every banana peel, but enough was enough. She was nearing the edge.

* * *

The day dragged by with a snail-like pace. Vanellope could barely concentrate on writing the end of her Christmas story, in which Vanellope used the power of a magical candy cane to explode all the toy robots, and banish all the aliens back to their unnamed planet. In Spanish class, it felt like it took a century to sing "Feliz Navidad." Even in classes Vanellope enjoyed, like gym, it felt like everyone was playing kickball in slow motion.

Finally, after hours and hours of waiting, Felix dismissed them from Math class and the 3rd graders all ran to Miss Mary's classroom, talking and laughing all the way.

When they got inside, music was playing, food was out, and a stack of the Secret Santa presents sat in the corner. The lady on the radio was singing about how all she wanted for Christmas was a boy, which was pretty stupid in Vanellope's opinion. Why ask for boys when you could get race cars?

The table in the front of the room was full of snacks, some of which included a large, sparkling punch bowl, a chocolate cake, a bowl of M n' M's, popcorn, cookies, brownies, eclairs, and of course, Vanellope's potato chips. There was even Neapolitan ice cream, curtsey of Snowanna. The most impressive thing though, was a grand chocolate fountain that Miss Mary had set up.

"It's beautiful!" Swizzle whispered longfully, eying the chocolate fountain. Rancis and Gloyd nodded in awe.

"Welcome children!" Miss Mary called, waving them in. "Let's get this party started, shall we? Get your food and then we'll start the Secret Santa exchange! Just go up to the tree and get your present, then give it to whoever you have!"

The kids scampered about, getting their food and presents. Vanellope saw Gloyd get out a cup and fill it with chocolate, much to Taffyta's disgust.

Vanellope went over to the tree and got out her present, setting in on her desk. She looked around for Taffyta but was interrupted by Adorabeezle coming up to her, a shy smile on her face. "Here you go, Vanellope." She said, handing the present over to her.

"You're my Secret Santa?" Vanellope exclaimed, taking the large rectangular present.

Adorabeezle nodded. "Surprise!"

"Gee, thanks!" Vanellope laughed. "I loved everything you gave me!"

Adorabeezle let out a sigh of relief. "Good, I mean, I knew you like race cars and stuff, but I was still a little worried."

Vanellope opened up her new present. It was that race car book Gloyd had had back in September, with all the official race car information and signatures! "Holy Skittles!" Vanellope gasped, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. "Thanks Adorabeezle!" She put the book in her desk and gave her a big hug.

"You're welcome!" Adorabeezle grinned. "I'm glad you like it!"

Vanellope nodded and picked up Taffyta's gift. She walked away, looking for the platinum blonde herself. She passed by Candlehead, who was hugging an extremely uncomfortable-looking Swizzle. "I'm so glad you like my gifts!" She giggled.

Swizzle looked at Vanellope. _Help! _

"Hey Candlehead!" Vanellope called.

Candlehead looked up.

"I think I saw your Secret Santa over by the tree." Vanellope said.

"Ooh!" Candlehead squealed, dropping Swizzle. "I wonder who it is!"

"Thanks." Swizzle said, fist-bumping Vanellope. "Do you know where Torvald is? I need to give her my present."

"I think she's in the back of the room." Vanellope said, pointing.

Swizzle nodded and walked off.

Vanellope spent a good minute looking around the classroom before she found Taffyta standing by the food table, examining a tree-shaped cookie suspiciously. Vanellope walked over to her, her hands and knees shaking. "H-hey, Taffyta." Vanellope winced, smiling at her queasily.

"What do you want?" Taffyta snapped. "I'm waiting for my Secret Santa, so if you could just move your ugly little-" She paused, her mouth dropping open in a perfect "O" shape. "Eh meh gawd." She gasped, looking down at the present in Vanellope's outstretched hands. "It's _you, _isn't it!?"

"Merry Christmas?" Vanellope said, smiling at her wearily.

"I should have known!" Taffyta said, stomping one foot angrily. "No one else would be stupid enough to give someone a dumb _pen _for a present!"

"Hey!" Vanellope exclaimed defensively. "I spent a lot of time on that!" It was like she was being split into two different Vanellopes-one good, one bad. The good one was ever so reminding her to be calm, mature, and better than Taffyta. The bad side was bringing back those images of frog presents.

"Yeah, well, it was stupid." Taffyta said, rolling her eyes. She snatched the present out of Vanellope's hands. "What is this?"

"Your present." Vanellope said quietly. The two Vanellopes were still fighting against each other, but the bad side was slowly winning. She clenched her fists at her side and tried to stay responsible. _Remember what you promised Ralph! _The good side admonished her.

Taffyta opened it up, looking annoyed. She pulled it out. "What the heck?" She snipped, looking at it like it was a newly developed species.

"It's a cupcake." Vanellope said, her voice shaking unsteadily. She had spent a lot of time making it just perfect. It was larger than a normal cupcake, and decorated with a pretty swirl of pink and white frosting. On top was a luscious-looking strawberry, surrounded by an array of pink sprinkles. Ralph said it look like it came right out of a French bakery, which had caused Vanellope to beam with pride.

"A cupcake?" Taffyta said incredulously. "You made me a _cupcake_?"

"Yes." Vanellope said, waiting for her reaction.

Taffyta glared at her. "If I wanted a cupcake, I could have gotten one off of the snack table!" She shrieked, dropping the cupcake back in Vanellope's hands. "What kind of dumb present is that!? You are the stupidest person I've ever met!"

Vanellope glared at her. The good side of her had completely died out by now. All she could feel now was her frustration and anger. "I tried to make you happy!" She exclaimed. "It's not my fault your the brattiest person in the world!"

"Well you failed!" Taffyta cried. "You are so mentally retarded it's not even funny anymore! That cupcake is worthless and _pathetic_, just like you!"

Vanellope made a split second decision. She was just so sick of Taffyta, and her name-calling, her pranks, her...everything! She was officially the meanest, worst-est, evilest person Vanellope had ever met!

"And you are such a little piece of-"

And so Vanellope Reilly closed her eyes, took that cupcake, that cupcake that she'd worked _so hard _on, and shoved it right in Taffyta's bratty face. Then she ground it in, for extra effect.

The whole room gasped, but no one was more surprised than Taffyta. "Wh-wha-what- did you...you ruined my face!" She gasped breathlessly.

"Oh I'm so sorry, let me get that for you." Vanellope said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She turned to the giant chocolate fountain and dipped her hands in, making sure to get them extra chocolatey. With great relish, she took them and rubbed them all over Taffyta's stupid new dress, leaving chocolate hand prints all over it and causing Taffyta to let out an exclaim of shock.

"What are you doing?" She shrieked.

"There." Vanellope said, standing back and crossing her arms triumphantly. "All better!"

Taffyta stood there, her mouth hanging open in stupefaction before she let out a terrifying screech. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" She yelled, tackling Vanellope to the ground with a brownie in hand.

It was Gloyd who started the rest. "Food fight!" He yelled, standing up on top of his desk. And with a single second, Miss Mary's classroom went nuts. Brownies went flying, ice cream splattered, and chocolate was rubbed into faces. Taffyta took the punch bowl and dumped it over Vanellope's head. Vanellope retaliated by taking Gloyd's cup of chocolate and pouring it over hers.

"My cake!" Miss Mary cried, ducking to avoid a shower of M n' M's as Swizzle dug his hands in and began chucking chunks across the room. "Children! Stop it! Stop! You are acting very irresponsible!" She stood up on a desk and waved her arms, trying to get their attention. "Stop! Everyone stop!" She was cut off immediately though when Sticky accidentally threw some ice cream straight to her face.

Vanellope and Taffyta rolled around, yelling at each other and pulling each others hair. They crashed into the food table, sending the fountain to the floor where the top flew off, causing a jet of chocolate to fly around the classroom, painting the walls and windows brown.

It continued like this for about five more minutes, until there was a blaring bull horn noise, and a loud voice shouted. "Children!"

The students all looked up to see Principal Gene standing in the door with Miss Mary at his side. A last stray toss of cake landed against his face with a resounding _splat, _running down his cheeks and down his neck. He scowled, his hands on his hips and a scary look on his face. His eyes crackled with thunder as he turned to Miss Mary. "Who started this?" He roared.

With a glare, Miss Mary pointed to Vanellope and Taffyta, who sat on the floor, covered in chocolate, cake, and other unknown desserts.

Vanellope gulped.

* * *

They all had lost their recess privileges for the next two weeks after Christmas break. And they had to stay after school and clean up the classroom. Vanellope and Taffyta, on the other hand, were not so lucky.

"Come with me." Gene had hissed, pulling them off the floor. Then he had dragged them to his office where he instructed them to sit outside in the lobby while he called their parents.

Now Vanellope and Taffyta sat there, sitting on opposite sides of the bench, covered in food and refusing to speak to one another.

"This is all your fault." Taffyta hissed, her back still turned towards her.

"No it isn't!" Vanellope hissed right back, scowling over her shoulder at her. "You're the one who had to be so mean to me!"

"You're the one who shoved that crappy cupcake in my face!" Taffyta said, turning to scowl right back.

"Only because you deserved it!"

"I did _not!" _

"Yes you did!"

"Did not!"

"Did!"

"Just shut up." Taffyta said, turning away again.

Vanellope rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, turning to sit face-forward.

They sat there in an angry silence, each going over mean things to say to each other in their heads.

Vanellope heard Gene's muffled voice coming from the door as he talked to one of their parents. Vanellope's heart sped up and her palms got all sweaty. Ralph was going to kill her, bring her back to life, and kill her again. She was 99 percent sure that starting food fights wasn't included on the "being nice to others list."

Vanellope's thoughts were interrupted as she heard Taffyta give off a small sniffle. "Oh, so you're _crying _now?" Vanellope exclaimed, looking annoyed. "Are you trying to make me feel bad for you? Because it's not going to work!"

"Why would I do that?" Taffyta scowled, turning to Vanellope with watery, red eyes. "I have bigger problems than that to deal with!"

"Like what?" Vanellope huffed, rolling her eyes. "Your mom isn't going to buy you any more mascara?"

"No!" Taffyta said, her voice wavering.

"Because of this you're not going to get the right color cell phone now?" Vanellope continued, smirking devilishly. "Or, I know, you're going to get 49 presents now, instead of 50?"

"No!" Taffyta exclaimed, tears leaking out. "I'm mad because I know this is going to make my parents fight even more than they already do!" She gasped and slapped her hands over her mouth, looking ashamed.

Vanellope froze. "What?" She said, more quietly this time.

Taffyta turned away from her and put her face in her knees. A couple seconds passed before Vanellope realized she was crying. Real, serious crying, not just I-broke-a-nail crying. Vanellope sat there shifting back and forth uncertainly, not knowing what to say or do. After a couple minutes she slid over to her, and patted her on the cake-covered shoulder awkwardly.

Taffyta just sat there and let it all out, something that was slightly scary for Vanellope. She had never seen this side of her before, it was so...different.

"My parents are getting divorced." Taffyta mumbled, sounding hollow. "And all they ever do is fight with each other and over me, and my sisters won't stop making fun of me just because I'm the youngest, and my home sucks. And the police have to show up at least once a week to calm everything down." She let out a dry sob. "There, are you happy now? Now you can go and tell everyone and you can all make fun of me. I know you always do it anyways."

Vanellope's previous aggression faded away in an instant. "I'm not going to do that." She said quietly, looking down at the ground. Before she would have thought Taffyta was just making it all up to get attention, but for some reason, she believed her.

Maybe it was because she hated to see anyone, even Taffyta, cry.

Maybe it was because it explained why Taffyta would want to take out her aggression on others.

Whatever it was, Vanellope immediately felt guilty for shoving the cupcake in her face.

Taffyta just sat there, crying.

"If it helps...I don't even know my mom and dad." Vanellope found herself saying.

"W-what?" Taffyta sniffled, peeking one eye up at her.

Vanellope dropped her hand off Taffyta's shoulder and sat back, looking up at the ceiling. "I-I'm adopted." She said.

Taffyta was quiet now. She looked over at Vanellope, saying nothing.

"I don't even have a memory of my real parents." Vanellope went on, speaking barely above a whisper. "They just found me one morning on the orphanage doorstep, with no one around, not even a note, or anything. I was only a baby." She paused, a ghostly look on her face. "I kept waiting for them to come back for me. But...no one ever did."

Taffyta said nothing, a look of-was it remorse?-on her face. "I-I had no idea." She mumbled, looking ashamed for the first time in her life.

Vanellope nodded, trying to hold back the tears threatening to leak out of her eyes.

They sat there numbly for a few minutes, trying to take it what had just happened.

Taffyta finally broke the silence. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

Vanellope turned to her in astonishment. "What?"

"I'm sorry!" Taffyta repeated, louder this time. "I was so mean to you-I just..." She sighed, scuffing the tiled floor with the heel of her boot. "I was jealous, okay? I was mad because when you came here, everyone thought you were so great and cool, and everyone wanted to be your friend, and you were beating me in everything...I just felt so...stupid."

"Are you kidding me?" Vanellope laughed incredulously. "_I _was jealous of _you!" _

"Really?" Taffyta giggled, turning to smile at her.

"Yeah!" Vanellope said. "I mean, you had all this cool stuff, and everyone was so nice to you, and they all knew your name-and I just thought your life was perfect!"

Taffyta laughed, wiping her eyes. "I guess we were both pretty weird." She said, sitting back.

"Yeah." Vanellope said, doing the same. She paused and took a deep breath. "And I'm sorry for being mean back. It wasn't mature of me."

"I can see why you did it." Taffyta muttered. "I was being a real jerk."

"I've seen worse." Vanellope said, thinking back to Nancy.

"Thanks." Taffyta said, smiling half-heartedly. "But still...I'm just so sorry."

Vanellope turned away again, feeling weird all of the sudden. Was she actually getting along with Taffyta? She turned to her. "How 'bout we call it a truce? I don't know about you, but I'm sick of fighting."

Taffyta smiled and nodded. "Deal."

They leaned over and shook each others hands, giggling.

"You look so weird with that brownie in your hair." Taffyta said teasingly.

"I could say the same with your cake-face." Vanellope teased back.

Taffyta laughed.

Suddenly the two front doors opened, and their parents rushed in, looking angry. "Just what do you think you're doing?" Taffyta's mother said. She was very tall and pretty, and the resemblance between her and Taffyta was very eminent.

"A food fight?" Ralph exclaimed, his hands on his sides. "I thought we talked about this Vanellope?"

Vanellope and Taffyta turned to each other, smiling queasily.

These next few hours were not going to be fun. But even though Vanellope knew she was in loads of trouble, for the first time in a long time, she felt at peace. The storm was over, the tide had receded, and she and Taffyta had called it even. They weren't exactly friends, not yet anyways, but no matter what happened, Vanellope felt happy knowing that whatever happened next, they could do it together.


	50. A Merry Little Christmas

**A/N: **The last three chapters! Agh! You guys are awesome.

**DarkDemon122: **Wow! I couldn't ever do that, and I'm the one who wrote it! But then again, that may just be because of my laziness.

Okay, so some of you have been asking about King Candy/Turbo stuff, and I have a small idea that I could work with. _Small. _But it could work. Don't hold me accountable to anything-'cause if it doesn't work, it doesn't. But first I would need a name. I have like, no idea what KC's real world name would be, and his relation to Turbo. I would just need some sort of basic foundation first, and then I could try to get at it. So if you have any ideas on that subject, just PM your ideas! Thanks!

* * *

If you were to ask Ralph to write a list of the things he loved most of all in this world, sleep would definitely be at the top of the list. Well, second to Vanellope, of course. He couldn't get enough of it. There was no better way to spend a Saturday than sleeping in 'till noon, in his opinion.

This is why Ralph wasn't exactly a happy camper when he woke up one morning to have Vanellope jumping up and down on his bed, yelling and shouting.

"What is it now?" Ralph mumbled into his pillow. If she had done this a couple of months ago, he would have gone into commando mode in an instant. But lately he had learned that Vanellope was curious, easily distracted, and fascinated by the simplest things. It wasn't rare for her to come into his room going on about how she just saw a bird steal a nut from a squirrel, or that she got to round 50 in _Hero's Duty, _disturbing his well-cherished slumber. He loved the girl, but as he had explained to her many, many times before; _couldn't it wait? _

"Wake up!" Vanellope protested, bouncing around. She was still wearing her pajamas and her already messy ponytail flew around wildly. "It's Christmas! C'mon! Get your butt out of bed!"

Ah.

"How could I forget?" Ralph yawned, sitting up. "Especially with you around to remind me every second, of every hour, of every single day, for the last past _month." _

"Yeah! And now Christmas is finally here!" Vanellope squealed, ignoring his sarcasm and putting her face in his. "So get up! Time's a'wasting!" She pulled his arm out from under the covers and began tugging on it in a very futile attempt to drag him out of bed herself.

"Alright, I'm getting up!" Ralph said, stretching.

Vanellope let out a cry of joy and ran down the stairs with Ralph trailing behind. He couldn't help but smile as she twirled, danced, and sang around the living room. "This is the best Christmas ever!" She exclaimed, doing a clumsy pirouette in the kitchen.

"We haven't even done anything yet!" Ralph mentioned, but it fell on deaf ears.

Vanellope ran over to the radio and turned on a lively tune. She put on her new favorite Santa hat, something Ralph had bought for her that she had gotten too much fun out of. Yesterday, for example, she had stolen one of Ralph's shirts and stuffed it with pillows. Then she put some of Ralph's shaving cream on her face so it looked like it she had a big, foamy, white beard and gone around with her hat on saying, "Ho, ho, ho."

Vanellope danced all around the room, grabbing Ralph's hands and bringing him along. Ralph smiled at her and laughed as she came to a stop at the Christmas tree. They had set it up a few days previously, must to Vanellope's delight. After the whole food fight fiasco, things had been a little awkward between the pair. Ralph had driven her home from school, giving her a very long and descriptive rant about how disappointed he was in her. Vanellope had just sat there with her arms folded, glaring out the window. The arcade was a definite no, and Vanellope had spent the rest of that day in her room, as quiet as a mouse. The way they didn't speak or look at each other one would have thought someone had died recently.

But, like anyone who loved someone else, they couldn't stand to be upset with each other, even if it just was for a few hours. The next day Vanellope had come into his room and told him how sorry she was for disappointing him, and that even though she knew it was the wrong thing to do, she and Taffyta had fixed things up, and were _sort of _friends now.

Ralph told her all was forgiven, he didn't want to stay distressed with her, after all. And food fights were admittedly fun, even if they did get you detention. Things got back to normal when they then decided to go out on a hunt to find the perfect Christmas tree. It'd taken hours, but Vanellope had finally picked one out that she said was "right out of a storybook." This has caused Ralph to laugh, after all, who in their right mind would want to read a story about his and Vanellope's daily lives?

They'd decorated the tree with with strings of twinkly colored lights and every ornament Vanellope could get her hands on. It was just another beautiful disaster, courtesy of one particular nine year-old. It was messy and decorated with no design or pattern whatsoever, but it still came out looking beautiful. Vanellope was just magical like that.

Vanellope sat down in front of the tree, beaming up at it like it was an angel from heaven. There was an assortment of presents under it, some from Ralph, some from Vanellope, and even some from Felix.

Ralph sat beside her. "So, I'm guessing you want to open yours now?" He said, pinching her cheek.

"Yes! Gadoi!" Vanellope said, her voice quivering with anticipation.

Ralph leaned over and handed her her two presents.

Vanellope looked down at them in her hands and said nothing, her eyes wide and something unnamed...it was like some sort of far-off longing.

"Is everything okay?" Ralph asked, looking at her hesitantly.

"Yes!" Vanellope said quickly, straightening up. "It's just...I can't believe I'm finally having a real Christmas!"

"What do you mean?" Ralph said, looking confused. "It's not like you were born yesterday! You've had other Christmases before, right?"

"Sort of." Vanellope said, looking down again. "But not like this! You know, with a big tree, and lots of presents, and...a family." She turned to smile at him sheepishly.

Ralph looked away, rubbings his eyes quickly. "Jesus, kid." He said, laughing softly. "You're making me emotional. I'm supposed to have a heart of stone, you know."

"Ha, ha." Vanellope laughed dryly. "Well, I like you better as a mushy man anyways."

"Mushy Man?" Ralph said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yup." Vanellope nodded, giggling. "That's your new name. Ralph Mushy Man Reilly."

"Great." Ralph said, smiling and rolling his eyes. "Now, go on, open your presents."

Vanellope opened Felix's first, a really large box. She tore off the wrapping paper. It was a giant LEGO mall construction set, complete with little stores, escalators, and shoppers.

"Cool!" Vanellope exclaimed loudly, her eyes wide. She went to smile but then fell into a frown. "I'm not to good with these things though."

"Wait, there's a note." Ralph said, handing her a piece of paper that had fallen out of the wrapping.

Vanellope unfolded it and read it out loud. _"To Vanellope; Merry Christmas! You've been a joy to have in class and I'm so glad we've met! Thanks for keeping my secret. Your friendly Math Teacher, Felix."_

"Secret?" Ralph said, looking puzzled.

_"P.S." _Vanellope added._ "I wrote out the instructions in words on the LEGO instruction booklet, just in case." _

"Of course." Ralph chuckled. "Good 'ol Felix, always knowing a way to fix everything."

"He's officially the best teacher ever." Vanellope said, hugging the box gratefully.

"Basically." Ralph agreed. "But what 'secret' do you guys have?"

"Oh." Vanellope said, laughing and turning pink. "I just know who he likes, that's all! And he made me promise not to tell anybody!"

"What?" Ralph exclaimed, thinking back to his and Felix's conversation on the beach back in September. "He still hasn't even told me!"

"Well, I kind of figured it out on my own." Vanellope smirked. "It was kind of obvious. He was being such a dope! You'll see her at the party anyways."

Ralph perked up at the thought but then switched to crossing his fingers in anticipation as Vanellope reached for his present, a big, square one.

"This one's heavy!" Vanellope observed in a giggling voice.

Ralph had done his very best to wrap it, which still _wasn't _the greatest. But who could really blame him? Before now, the only person he really exchanged presents with was Felix.

Vanellope didn't seem to care, though. She just smiled at him and removed the ribbons and paper. "Whoa!" She exclaimed, as she viewed her present. Ralph, knowing of her strange obsession with them, had gotten her a large toy robot, that would walk around, light up, and do who knows what else. It was very large-it was almost as tall as Vanellope. Ralph just hoped it wouldn't wind up murdering him in his sleep.

"Do you like it?" Ralph asked uncertainly.

"Yes!" Vanellope gushed. "Now I can make a robot a-taco-lisp with my race cars!"

"I think you mean apocalypse." Ralph chuckled.

"Yeah, that too." Vanellope nodded. She reached up and gave Ralph a big hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love it!"

"You're welcome!" Ralph smiled, patting the back of her head.

"Okay, now you have to open yours!" Vanellope said. She disappeared under the tree and reappeared with two packages in hand.

Ralph almost didn't want to open Felix's-it was wrapped so nicely! It felt like he was wrecking it, even though taking the wrapping apart was what you were supposed to do. When he finally opened it, he saw that Felix had gotten him a new pair of work gloves, something Ralph had been meaning to get himself, but never really got around to. "Thanks Felix!" Ralph said out loud, even though Felix obviously wasn't there.

"Open up mine!" Vanellope said, bouncing on the spot. The end of her Santa hat flew around, and she shoved the present into his hands eagerly.

"Hey, where's the fire?" Ralph joked.

Vanellope just looked at him confused.

"Never mind." Ralph sighed. "Don't worry, I'm opening it!" He opened the small box carefully and took a look. It was a large cookie, decorated with blue frosting and tons of small circular sprinkles. Written on it in surprisingly neat cursive frosting were the words, _You're My Hero. _

"Did you make this yourself?" Ralph exclaimed, trying to ignore the feeling of his heart melting to a pie of mush. He loved this kid so much.

"Yes!" Vanellope cooed, smiling at him.

"So you used the oven by yourself?" Ralph questioned, looking at her with surprised and slightly perturbed parent-y look.

"Um...maybe?" Vanellope giggled. "But that's not the point! Do you like it?"

"Yeah!" Ralph said, beaming at her. "I don't think I'll ever be able to eat it!"

"Well you better, 'cause I spent a lot of time on it, and if you don't it'll get all crummy." Vanellope reprimanded him.

Ralph smiled at her. "Thanks, Vanellope."

"Anytime stinkbrain." Vanellope said, giving him another big hug. "Merry Christmas!"

"Same to you fart feathers." Ralph laughed, hugging her back.

* * *

Calhoun sat in her small flat, listening to the radio and sitting on the couch. She held a steaming cup of coffee in her hands and her hair was still a ruffled mess from sleep. The snow was falling softly and she could hear the shouts of children playing outside. Every other Christmas she'd had for the last 9 years had been full of a grumpy stupor. She'd eat a microwavable steak and sit in her basement, trying to block out the rest of the world. After all, Christmas was just a fluffed up pagan holiday powered by commercialism. Why should she even acknowledge that it existed?

But now...

She wasn't really _celebrating _anything, but for once on December 25, instead of feeling angry and lonely, she was just...there. She wasn't super happy or anything, but she wasn't mad for once, which was s_ort of_ an improvement.

She'd set the snow globe Felix had given her on her bookshelf in her living room, right where she could see it. She still couldn't believe he'd given her that. Whenever Calhoun walked past it, she couldn't help but stare at it, and get this...giddy feeling inside. Like she was a kid all over again. She wanted to dance, and squeal and laugh out loud. But Calhoun wasn't that kind of girl.

So she settled for smiling alone in her room, thinking of him and trying to answer all the questions she had flying through her head. Mainly it was just, _why? _Why did he like her? After all, she was just an uptight, pessimistic, loner. And he was...perfect. Really, truly perfect. He was all any girl could ask for: loving, generous, caring...

Which was why she didn't deserve him. Not one bit. She wasn't any of those things. And yet...he still stuck around.

Calhoun let out a happy sigh and downed the last remains of her coffee. She was just about to turn on the TV and try to find something decent to watch when the phone rang.

Puzzled, she frowned and walked over to it. "Hello?" She said, picking up the receiver.

"Hey Sarge! It's me, Vanellope!" The ecstatic voice called out.

"Hey Vanellope." Calhoun said, still confused. "How did you get my phone number?"

"It's in the school directory-thingy they passed out!" Vanellope said cheerily. "You know, with everyone's addresses and phone numbers? But anyways, I just wanted to say 'Merry Christmas!' Or 'Happy Hanukkah,' if that's your sort of thing."

"Thanks." Calhoun chuckled. "All the same to you."

"So, you're going to Felix's party, right?" Vanellope asked breezily.

"Yes." Calhoun said, raising an eyebrow. "Why? Who's asking?'

` "Not a matchmaker of any kind!" Vanellope giggled, sounding _totally _and _completely _subtle. "Just asking! But if you come, you can meet Ralph!"

"Okay." Calhoun searched her brain, trying to recall if that was a name she should have known. "That sounds great."

"So, did you get any cool presents?" Vanellope asked.

"You could say so." Calhoun mused, looking back over to the snow globe.

"Awesome!" Vanellope cheered. "I got this awesome robot, and this LEGO set, and they're both the bestest things ever!"

Calhoun could practically feel Vanellope's joy oozing out of the phone. She couldn't help but grin as she imagined how much fun Vanellope must have had that morning. "That's nice."

"Yeah, well, I've got to get back to my robot a-paco-list." Vanellope said, sounding breathless. "They're using the Eiffel Tower as a golf club!"

They exchanged goodbyes and hung up, leaving Calhoun smiling and chuckling under her breath. Barely 30 seconds had passed before the phone rang again. Calhoun was even more surprised by this than the first time it'd rung. Maybe she was just a little popular today.

"Hello?" She said again, wondering who on earth it could be now. She really needed to get caller ID.

"Tamora? It's me, Felix."

There it was again. She suddenly got the sensation of falling, like her stomach was ready to fall out and burst at the same time. It was oh so painful, but amazing at the same time. Calhoun gripped the phone more tightly as she tried to keep her voice, and herself, steady. "Hey, Felix!" She said, going to sit back down on the couch. "What's up?"

"Oh, I just wanted to call and wish you a 'Merry Christmas!'" Felix said pleasantly.

Calhoun could almost tell for sure that he was blushing. "Well thank you, pint-sized. How's Georgia?"

"Well, it's a little warmer, but not much." Felix said, with a tiny hint of sadness. "But other than that, I'm doing good!"

Calhoun could hear a lot talking and movement in the background, making her wonder what he was doing. "How many brothers do you have again?" She asked.

"Four." Felix answered. "Frank is the oldest, then there's Francis, Fred, Me, and Frisky-he's the youngest."

"Frisky?" Calhoun sniggered. "You have a brother named _Frisky?" _

"I know." Felix sighed, laughing as well. "My parents couldn't think of any other names that started with an 'F'."

Calhoun smoothed her hair down and sat back. "Well, it sounds like you're having fun."

She pictured Felix making a shrugging motion as he said; "All we're really doing right now is making our big meal, well, my brothers and cousins are, they won't let me."

"Why not?" Calhoun exclaimed. "You're a pretty good cook, if that whole quiche thing was any indication."

"That's what I told them!" Felix protested, sounding the most bitter he'd probably ever had, and ever could. "But Frank thinks he can do it better, just because he's the _oldest_."

"I'm sorry." Calhoun said, feeling weirded out by seeing (well, _hearing_)an upset Felix. "Well, at least you can go around and look for stuff to fix, right? That's your thing."

"I guess so." Felix chuckled. He paused for a moment. "I wish you were here."

Calhoun felt a large blush spread through her cheeks. She stumbled with the phone in her hands and said some swear words in her head for blushing. "You'll see me in a couple days." She reminded him. "At your party-thing. So just sit tight 'till then."

"Alright." Felix said. "Well...I got to go. I think Fred just set the stove on fire again."

"You better go fix it, then." Calhoun smiled.

Felix laughed . "I'll try. Merry Christmas, again."

"You too."

She hung up the phone, and hung her head over the back of the couch, gazing up at the ceiling. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she almost wanted to kick herself. After all, getting this worked up over a _phone call? _It was borderline pathetic.

But, for once in her life, Tamora Calhoun didn't care. She didn't care how stupid, silly, or weak she looked. She just wanted...this. This feeling she had-she just wanted it to last forever.

She was in love.

Maybe there was such a thing as a Merry Christmas, after all.


	51. Midnight Magic

**A/N:** Second to last! * Sniff * Oh Lordy! Anyways, for future My Hero reference, I have a poll on my profile that I would appreciate you responding to. Thanks for the KC ideas, I still need thinking time...Thank you for keeping up with this story for so long!

* * *

There were a lot of things Felix Parcell was known for. Charm, friendliness, charisma, his fixing abilities, great cooking; the list went on and on. But out of all the things that made him who he was, one of the things he was best known for was being a great party planner. After all, he loved everybody and organizing. So why _wouldn't_ he be good at organizing an event for everyone he knew, and then some?

Exactly.

So getting an invite (even though as previously mentioned, he basically did invite _everyone_) was pretty exciting. Well, for most people anyways.

"Do I _have _to dress up?" Vanellope moaned, kicking her feet back and forth. "I really don't think anyone would mind if I just wore my sweatpants."

Ralph was sitting with her in the living room, brushing and tugging at her hair. He wasn't completely ready yet-he had his black fancy pants on, but his white shirt was still hanging all over the sides, not tucked in. The Christmas tree still twinkled in the corner-Vanellope said they couldn't remove it until it was at least pass Valentine's Day. The snow was quiet outside, and that itchy anticipation of a party hung in the air. Vanellope, however, had her arms folded and one look at her face could tell anyone how she felt about her current situation: resentment.

"Yes." Ralph chuckled, pulling her hair back into a bun. "Lots of people are going to be there, and I want you to look nice!"

"I feel like a fruitcake." Vanellope huffed.

"A very _cute _fruitcake! Ralph teased.

"No." Vanellope giggled, rolling her eyes. "A big, dumb, 'ol fancy fruitcake. Not a cute one."

"C'mon Vanellope, it won't be that bad." Ralph insisted. "You look great!" He took out her box of blue barrettes and handed them to her.

Vanellope stood up and went over to the hallway mirror to examine herself. She was wearing a light blue dress that was dusted ever so lightly with glitter. It was made with many layers of tulle that made the whole dress a lot pouffier than she would have liked. It came with a matching jacket and white gloves, but Vanellope knew she was going to find some way to ditch both of them later. Ralph had pulled her long hair back into a surprisingly neat bun, tied back with a sparkly blue ribbon. Luckily, Ralph had let her wear some of her striped tights, the pale blue and white ones, so she felt _partly _normal.

"Grr." Vanellope grumbled, glaring at her reflection. She opened up the box and started snapping her barrettes in. "I don't see how people like Taffyta can _enjoy _walking around like this every day."

"If it makes you feel better, I have to wear a suit." Ralph said, holding said suit jacket up and sticking out his tongue.

"It only does a little." Vanellope said, smirking at him. "But it'll be better when I see you in it!"

"Well then, I best go get ready, huh?" Ralph said, smiling at her. He gave her a small wave and headed back upstairs to his room.

Vanellope waited until she heard the click of the door shutting before she yanked the ribbon out of her hair. She could handle the dress, but the bun had to go. She instead got out a pain rubber band and tied her hair back in her regular ponytail. There. That was at least _a little _bit better.

She sighed and winced at all the sparkles. With all the fuss she had to go through, this party better be pretty dang interesting. Vanellope Reilly did not put on fruitcake dresses for just any shindig that came by.

All she was really saying, basically, is that there better be cake. And a lot of it. Maybe some root beer or something too, but that was it. Or shrimp, so she could pretend to be one of those fancy rich people in movies with their shrimp in fat wineglasses. Ralph said it was called "shrimp cocktail," but Vanellope knew that couldn't be true, after all, everyone knew that fruit cocktail was like a fruit salad, and why would you put shrimp in a fruit salad?

She straightened up as she heard Ralph open up his door and come down the stairs. Vanellope whistled. "Look at you!" She smiled, scanning him up and down. "You look just like James Bawn."

"Bond." Ralph corrected, his cheeks turning pink. He went to adjust his tie in the mirror.

"Same difference." Vanellope shrugged. She went over to stand beside Ralph, smiling up at him. "But you still look nice, for a stinkbrain."

"You look pretty good too, for a booger face." Ralph said, nudging her gently.

Vanellope grinned and stuck out her tongue at him.

"Well, after you madam." Ralph said, going over to open the front door with a deep bow.

"Thank you, Jeeves." Vanellope said, bowing back.

They got in the car and headed out down the snowy road. Lights shown out of house windows, illuminating the soft snow underneath. Vanellope could see people of all sorts gathered around inside their homes, dancing, talking, or sitting around the TV to watch the ball drop.

"Hey Ralph?" Vanellope called, craning her neck to look at a prettily decorated tree they drove past.

"Yeah, kid?" Ralph asked.

"Why do they drop a ball at midnight in New York? That doesn't even make any sense!" Vanellope exclaimed, sounding completely befuddled. "What does a big, sparkly _ball _have to do with anything? I'm pretty sure they don't do that in Canada!"

"It's some sort of weird history thing." Ralph explained. "I think they used to use balls as a kind of time signal or something."

"Well, it's still weird." Vanellope sighed. "Why don't we just do fireworks, like normal countries?"

"I have no idea." Ralph laughed. "Maybe that's something you can take care of when you become president."

"Yeah!" Vanellope smiled, an excited gleam in her eye. "I'll put that right at the top of my to-do list."

When they got there, the party was already in full swing. Felix had removed some chairs and couches out of the living room, so there was a big open area for standing around, talking, but mostly dancing, of course. The lights were dim, and disco balls hung from the ceiling, turning the whole place into a multi-colored kaleidoscope. A table full of fancy looking foods was against the wall, featuring items like fruit kabobs and mini quiches, things that Vanellope knew Felix probably spent all day making himself. An upbeat party song was playing loudly over the speakers, and a some people were dancing already. A few parents and teachers had arrived, as well as some students. Vanellope immediately spotted her three guy friends standing in the middle of the room, talking and laughing.

"Welcome guys!" Felix said, walking over to them and giving them hugs. He was wearing his blue vest with a navy tie underneath. "Thank you for coming, you both look great!"

"Thanks for having us." Ralph smiled. "How was Georgia?"

"I'm just going to go over there..." Vanellope smiled, inching away. She could sense boring grown-up conversation coming from a mile away. Next they would be talking about taxes and salaries, then maybe politics. Why did being a grown-up make you have to be so boring sometimes? She walked over the the guys, shaking her head. "Hey everyone!" She cheered, giving them all high-fives.

"Hey Vanellope!" They smiled.

"Nice dress." Gloyd snickered.

"Shut up." Vanellope scowled. Looking back over to make sure Ralph wasn't looking, she took off her jacket and gloves and stuffed them under a chair. There. "And anyways," She continued, standing back up. "I could say the same about you guys."

Swizzle and Gloyd glared down, tugging on their ties and and jackets. Rancis, on the other hand, looked perfectly fine with having to wear his fancy suit and tie. More than fine, actually. He looked down at his admiringly.

"My mom made me brush my hair for practically an hour." Swizzle complained.

"I think this tie is choking me." Gloyd yelped, pulling at it.

"I don't know guys," Rancis said, patting down his hair. "I think Vanellope, and we, look perfectly normal. It's not so bad!"

"Yeah...it's worse." Gloyd sighed.

"Hello!" Someone squealed, and the four turned around to see Taffyta walking in with Candlehead. Vanellope wondered if there was any place those two didn't go together. Candlehead was wearing a simple, but pretty, pink and green dress, and Taffyta, as usual, looked like she had just walked out of a fashion magazine.

"Hey guys." Vanellope smiled. "You guys look great!"

"Thank you." Taffyta said, fluffing her hair. "So do you!"

Even though Vanellope hated her dress, she couldn't help but feel a little bit better about it knowing she had Taffyta's stamp of approval.

"This a pretty good party, for a teacher, and all." Swizzle said approvingly, looking around.

"Even better than yours, Taffyta." Gloyd said, smirking at her.

"Yeah right." Taffyta sniffed, scowling at him. "I could throw a better party in my sleep."

"So, do you guys want to dance?" Candlehead smiled, looking at one person in particular.

"Sure!" Rancis shrugged.

They all walked off, but Vanellope took a moment to pull Taffyta aside. "Hey." She said, smiling at her nervously. "Is everything okay? At home, I mean."

Taffyta sighed. "If you mean that by some miracle everything was fixed and we're all happy again, than no. But Christmas was okay. They got along then, and my grand-parents came over and stuff."

"That's good." Vanellope said, giving her a reassuring smile. "Well...if you ever need anyone to talk to...about anything...I'm here."

"Thanks." Taffyta said, smiling back. "You know, you're not so bad."

"So I've been told." Vanellope shrugged.

Taffyta laughed. She looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping before she asked; "So...are you ever going to tell anyone? You know, about the whole adoption thing?"

Vanellope let out a wary sigh. "I don't know." She mumbled. "I would...I just don't want people to start treating me weird, you know? Like I'm a charity or something."

"I'm sure they wouldn't!" Taffyta insisted. "I mean, they'd be nice to you, of course, but I don't think it'd be _that _big of a deal."

Vanellope thought. "I will...just not now. How 'bout tonight we both just forget about all that stuff, just for a little while, and have fun? I think we both need it, after this crazy year."

"Okay!" Taffyta smiled, shaking Vanellope's hand.

"Are you two coming?" Rancis called, waving them over. "We're about to start!"

"Coming!" Taffyta and Vanellope said, running over.

Vanellope spotted some other classmates and invited them to join the dance, after all everyone knew Snowanna was definitely the best in the class. Soon they had a whole group in the middle of the dance floor, this time including Candlehead and Taffyta. People cheered them on as they all danced the best moves they knew. Snowanna taught them lots of new ones that she learned. They all jumped, stomped, laughed, and twirled.

After a lot bit of dancing, Vanellope got tired, and went to go get a drink by the snack table. When she got there, she saw Felix setting out more food and got a mischievous idea. Trailing silently behind him, she took all the food Felix had just placed out and stuffed in her pockets, and then hid.

"What the-?" She heard Felix exclaim, confused. All the food he'd just set out had disappeared! With a slightly annoyed sigh, he walked back into the kitchen and came out with more food, refilling the cookies, chips, and vegetable platters. Once again Vanellope tip-toed behind him, taking all the food she could in her arms and walking off.

Felix turned around again. "What is happening?" He protested, sounding delirious now.

Vanellope giggled under her breath. She got ready to do it a third time, but was caught when Felix turned around abruptly, getting a glimpse of Vanellope shoving some kabob sticks between her teeth.

"Vanellope!" Felix exclaimed his hands on his hips and an amused scowl on his face.

"Heh Feeliss." Vanellope smiled sheepishly, her mouth full of kabob.

Felix crossed his arms. "Just what do you think you're doing?" He asked, pulling the kabobs out of her mouth and placing them on the platter he was holding.

"Aw, I was just messing around Felix!" Vanellope giggled, handing him some of the cookies in her arms as well.

"Well, next time save some for the rest of us." Felix chuckled. "I don't have an endless amount of food, you know. "

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Vanellope smiled. "Cool party, by the way."

Felix blushed. "Thank you." He sighed and looked down at the platter. "Now what am I supposed to do with these? I can't put them back out if they've been in your mouth!"

Vanellope grinned wickedly. "Give them to Ralph." She said, trying to keep her voice even. "He won't care."

"Are you sure?" Felix asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

"Yeah!" Vanellope nodded. "He'll eat anything! And besides, we're blood! Well, by law anyways."

"Alright." Felix said uncertainly, walking off with the platter.

Vanellope giggled and ran back to join her friends, who were still dancing. "Here, take these cookies." She said, passing them out as she walked by.

"Thanks?" Taffyta said, looking at it like she'd never seen a cookie before.

"Thanks!" Gloyd and Swizzle said, stuffing their faces.

Vanellope rolled her eyes and smiled. Boys were so weird sometimes.

* * *

The party continued, but Felix couldn't relax. Tamora still hadn't arrived yet, and he couldn't help but worry. What if she had changed her mind? What if she hated him for the whole going-to-Georgia thing? What if she was so mad at him she moved away and never came back? What if she got kidnapped, and was being held for ransom right at this very moment? What if-

"Hello Felix!" A pair of voices greeted him, disrupting his harried thoughts.

Felix turned to see Gene and Mary, smiling up at him. "Hello guys!" He said, trying to calm himself down. He knew Tamora was probably just late, that was it. His emotions had a tendency to get ahead of rational thought, sometimes. "Are you enjoying the party?"

"Yes!" They said, together again, then throwing each other annoyed looks.

"I was wondering if you wanted to dance, Felix?" Mary asked hopefully.

"_Actually,_" Gene said, butting in. "I was wondering if you want to hang around with _me, _Felix."

"I'm kind of busy right now..." Felix said, checking his watch again. 9:30. "Why don't you two dance with each other?" He suggested, trying to think of a way to look out the window without seeming rude.

"What!?" Mary and Gene exclaimed together again, looking at Felix like he had just told them he was pregnant.

"Why would _I _dance with _her?_" Gene snipped.

"I have higher expectations." Mary huffed, folding her arms and looking pointedly away.

Gene and Mary usually got along pretty well, but when it came to situations such as the present, they each wanted to have Felix to themselves.

"Well, maybe later guys." Felix said, patting them both on the shoulder. He walked over to join Vanellope and Ralph, who were standing over by one disco balls, talking, laughing, and occasionally tickling each other. He could still hear Gene and Mary bickering with over who would get to spend the rest of the evening with Felix, but he tried to ignore it.

"Hey Felix." Ralph said, holding the food platter Felix had given him previously. "Thanks for the kabobs, by the way. They're amazing."

"Yeah." Vanellope said, snickering into her palm. "It's all those _special_ ingredients he uses, you know?"

Ralph gave her a confused look.

"Never mind." Vanellope said, biting her lip to try and stop laughing. It wasn't working to well. Her shoulders shook and her eyes were watering, and she gave off the illusion of a pipe about to burst. She calmed down however when she turned to Felix and noticed his glum look. "Hey Felix, why the long face? Someone spike your root beer? Because if someone did I think I know who it was." She put one hand on the side of her mouth and pointed to the left. _Gloyd, _she mouthed.

"Oh, it's nothing." Felix sighed, his mouth twisting into a half-smile. "Really, I'm just..."

"Is it because your _girlfriend _isn't here yet?" Vanellope laughed.

Felix turned bright red. He hoped it wouldn't be too noticeable under the colorful lights, but he had to admit it probably still would be. "She's not my girlfriend!" He protested, trying to ignore the happy feeling that word gave him.

"Oh yeah!" Ralph said, slapping him on the back. "When can we-well, I-meet her?"

"She'll be here any moment." Felix said nervously. _Hopefully. _

"Do you think she's pretty?" Vanellope giggled, poking him. "Huh? Do ya, do ya?"

"I think some one's had too much sugar!" Felix laughed, shielding himself from her prodding fingers.

"Please, such a thing doesn't exist." Vanellope said, waving the idea away. "And you didn't answer my question! Do you know how hard it is to not tell her already? Especially when you guys are walking around like a bunch of dopes! She likes you!"

"What?" Felix said, turning redder. "No she-"

"Felix and Tamora sitting a tree-" Vanellope sang.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Ralph finished teasingly, fist-bumping the eight year-old.

Felix blushed even redder as Ralph and Vanellope laughed. Listen you two," He said, trying to sound as serious as he could manage under this embarrassment. "If you guys do anything to-"

"Felix look!" Vanellope squealed, interrupting him with a pointing finger. She jumped up and down excitedly. "Sarge is here!"

Felix gulped anxiously as he turned around. _Just stay calm, _he told himself. _She's just a person. Don't freak out. She's just a person. _But all that reserve was lost when he laid eyes on her. She was standing in the doorway, looking around the crowded room for Felix. Her hair was brushed back out of her eyes, and she wore a small black dress that looked perfect on her. In her hands she held a box, and she had on a pair of strappy heels that gave her an unnecessary extra inch.

Felix thought for sure he was going to die. He was sure his heart was going to leap right out of his throat and onto the floor. He felt like he couldn't breathe, and his mind was absolutely, positively, without-a-doubt, blank.

She was perfect.

"_That's _her?!" Ralph chocked out, all previous teasing in his voice gone.

"Well, yeah." Vanellope said, her hand on her hip and eyebrow raised. "What did you expect?"

"I don't know." Ralph stammered. His cheeks were red and he looked like he was dreaming. "She-she's...just...really...wo-OW!" He reached for his knee as Vanellope went and kicked it.

"Ham hands off!" She snapped, pointing her finger at him threateningly. "She's Felix's!" She turned towards Felix and grinned at him. "Go get 'em, tiger!" She grinned, pushing him.

Felix gave her a smile, took a deep breath, and walked over to Tamora, trying to control the shaking in his legs. "H-hey Tammy!" He said, smiling up at her. "You look amazing!"

"Thanks." She said, blushing and looking down at him happily. "Sorry I'm late, I had a little trouble finding your place."

"That's quite alright." Felix said dazedly. "All the different streets can be a little-"

"Confusing." She finished, smiling at him.

Felix grinned and nodded wordlessly. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. No coherent ones, anyways.

"Ahem."

Felix, startled, turned to see Vanellope and Ralph smiling behind him, looking at Calhoun anxiously, and maybe even a little mischievously. "Oh, Tamora!" Felix exclaimed, clearing his throat. "You know Vanellope already, but this is Ralph, her guardian. Tamora meet Ralph, Ralph meet Tamora Calhoun."

"It's a real pleasure!" Ralph said, shaking her hand. "Felix talks about you _all_ the time!"

"What?" Felix squeaked, turning red again as Vanellope giggled into her hands. "No! I..I just..."

"Same to you." Tamora said curtly, throwing Felix a satisfied smirk. "Vanellope's great, a real pleasure!"

"What can I say, I'm adorable!" Vanellope shrugged, receiving a round of laughter.

"Well, we'll just leave you two kids alone." Ralph grinned, taking Vanellope's hand and leading her away.

"Have funnnnn!" Vanellope said, still giggling as Ralph winked.

Tamora waited until they were gone before taking a small breath and looking down at him. "So...I...uh, brought you a present, sort of."

"You did?" Felix said, smiling at her in astonishment.

"Yeah." She shrugged, trying to hide her shyness. "Mary told me you liked pies."

She handed him the box and Felix peered inside. "You made this?" He exclaimed, looking touched.

"Yes." She looked at him apprehensively, waiting for his reaction. "I know it's not much, and if you get food poisoning or something I could totally drive you to the ER, or whatever..."

"No!" Felix protested. "It's perfect! I couldn't have asked for anything more!"

"You sure?" Tamora asked, looking at him uncertainly. "Because I could always get you something else."

"I love it!" Felix said. He quick went over to his kitchen and put it in his refrigerator, then rushed back to Tammy.

She was looking around the room, trying to take all the lights, people, and music in. "You've got a nice place here." She commented.

"I can show you around, if you'd like." Felix asked hopefully.

"Okay." She said.

Felix paused. "Really?" He hadn't expected her to say yes.

Tamora nodded. "Go for it!"

"Okay." Felix grinned, feeling light-headed. Cautiously, he reached out and took her hand in his as he lead her around, trying to ignore the kissy noises Ralph and Vanellope made behind his back.

* * *

Ralph cruised around the room. He had just finished talking to Bill, who was the janitor at Vanellope's school. He wasn't the most talkative of people, and within minutes Ralph found himself feeling extremely awkward around him. He glanced at the clock on Felix's wall. 10:50. He looked for Felix, but he was still sitting in the corner, laughing the night away with Calhoun.

Sighing, he grabbed another cup of soda and went to stand in the corner. After a few moments, he quickly emptied it, and was about to go get another when Vanellope ran past. "Hey you!" He smiled, picking her up and tickling her stomach. "Where've 'ya been? I haven't seen you around for the past hour!"

"Around!" Vanellope laughed, pushing his hands away. "Me and my friends were dancing, and then we all played hide n' seek. I hid in this cool trapdoor Felix has in his floor, down in the basement. There were spiders down there, and it was SO COOL!"

"Wow, sounds like your having fun." Ralph chuckled.

"Yeah, more fun than you!" Vanellope snickered.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Ralph protested, tickling her again. "I've actually been having a great time. I got to know your janitor a little better, which is a gold star in my book."

"Sour Bill?" Vanellope exclaimed incredulously. "_You _got to know Sour Bill? And I'd like to see that book of yours. What else do you have gold stars for? Most burgers consumed per minute? How many medals you've won for wiping?"

"What?" Ralph laughed. "No! And is that what you kids call him? Sour?"

"Well, it's his fault he's so grumpy all the time." Vanellope argued.

"Maybe he just needs someone to cheer him up." Ralph mused, looking over at Bill again. He set his drink down and rested on the floor, Vanellope in his lap.

"Like you!" Vanellope said. "Except apparently you failed at that, 'cause even after talking to you, he still looks bored."

"Har, har, har." Ralph said dryly.

Vanellope smiled cheekily at him and turned her attention back to the rest of the party. "Look at those weirdos." She said, gesturing over to Felix and Calhoun. "Why don't they just say that they like each other, already? It's so obvious!"

Ralph smiled and shrugged. "I don't know kid. Love is strange, sometimes."

"You've got that right." Vanellope sighed, leaning back against him.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, taking the whole party scene in, when the clock chimed the hour.

"Eee!" Vanellope squealed, sounding uncharacteristically girly. "It's almost time! There's only a hour left!"

"I can believe you haven't fallen asleep yet." Ralph laughed. "But then again, you've probably consumed a pound of sugar by now..."

"Candlehead is the sleepy one." Vanellope explained. "We've had to wave cupcakes under her nose three times already so she'd wake up! It's pitiful!"

"I bet." Ralph said, watching as the lights twinkled in Vanellope's ginormous hazel eyes. She kept looking at the clock with excitement. "You know..." He said slowly, resting his head on her small shoulder. "Tradition says that at midnight, you have to kiss someone." He gave her a pointed look.

Vanellope looked at him for a moment before sticking out her tongue. "Ew! Gross!" She gagged. "What kind of moron came up with a stupid rule like that? I'm not kissing anybody! Why would I want one of those boys' saliva all up in my mouth! That's nasty! I bet the same person who came up with the whole ball idea came up with that too."

Ralph laughed. "That's my girl." He smiled, tugging on her ponytail.

Vanellope looked back over at Felix and Calhoun before she reached up and put her mouth by Ralph's ear. "I bet Felix wants to kiss Tamora at midnight." She whispered, giggling at the thought.

"I bet he does." Ralph grinned.

Vanellope laughed and sat back down, squirming with pleasure. She looked over at the dance floor, then back at Ralph, then back at the floor. "Oh Ralphie..." She said, looking up at him hopefully.

"No." Ralph said shortly, knowing where this was going.

"Please!" Vanellope pleaded, clasping her tiny hands together. "Pweety pwease!"

"I don't dance, Vanellope!" Ralph protested.

"Just one song, for me?" Vanellope asked. Her lower lip stuck out and her eyes widened so much Ralph thought they might pop right out.

He sighed. "Fine!" He huffed.

With a squeal, Vanellope grabbed his hand and lead him over to the dance floor. She immediately got Ralph started up in a dance that involved a lot of jumping and shaking. They even broke out into the robot at one point. And even though Ralph knew he was making a fool of himself, he didn't care. He was having _fun! _And it was kind of an added bonus when people clapped and cheered for them at the end.

"That was awesome Ralph!" Vanellope cheered. She jumped up and gave him a hug. "You're the best! When I'm president, you're totally going to be my partner on _Dancing With The Stars!" _

"Sounds like a deal." Ralph smiled. "Top-Shelf!" He held out his fist.

"Top Shelf!" Vanellope smiled back, pressing her fist against his.

* * *

"And then he tells me that he left it the fridge the whole time!" Felix gasped, tears leaking out of his eyes.

Calhoun laughed out loud, gripping her sides in a wonderful pain. "Your family sounds amazing." She managed to say between laughs.

"It is...most of the time." Felix said cockily.

Calhoun laughed again, wiping the tears out of her eyes. Ever since she'd gotten there, she hadn't done much else than sit and talk with Felix, but she felt amazing. Even though she'd in perspective done nothing, she was still having more fun than she'd ever had at some of those alcohol-filled romps she'd gone to as a teenager. When she glanced at the clock, she couldn't believe that it was 11:15 already. The time was flying by far too quickly. But Felix was just so...wow. He was making her laugh so hard she was gasping for air. She felt dizzy, and she kept having that horribly wonderful feeling one got when riding on a crazy roller coaster.

The pair let out a content sigh, leaning back against the one couch that Felix hadn't removed for spacial reasons. Calhoun looked over at him, pushing her hair out of her eyes. A million thoughts flew through her head as she watched him. She thought back again to their conversation back in November, out in the parking lot, when they'd almost...yeah. She wanted to tell him about her past...but she was...scared.

Yes, she finally had admitted it. Tamora Jean Calhoun was scared. What if he treated her differently, just because she was broken. Not that she didn't want his encouragement and comfort, but she didn't want to give him reasons to coddle her. And everyone knew that you didn't bring up ex-boyfriends into new relationships-even if they technically weren't in one yet.

But...

She felt like she had to tell him, in order to fully move on. "Felix." She said, clearing her throat.

"Yes?" He turned towards her, his eyes shining in the reflection of the lights above.

She took a deep breath. "I want to tell you, about my past."

Felix looked at her, surprised. "Are you sure?" He asked. "I told you already, I don't want to make you do anything that you don't want to."

"I know...but I feel like I need to." She looked over at him.

Felix nodded. "Well...go ahead then."

Calhoun sighed, crossed her legs, then uncrossed them again. The music that had been pounding through her a few moments before seemed to fade away, as well as the crowded room, until it felt like it was just her. Just her, and Felix, sitting on a couch in an empty room and talking. Her tongue felt tied, and her heart seemed to stop beating, but she just wanted to get this off her chest. "I...I've lost a lot of people that I love." She said, looking down at her shoes. "My father, my mother, my...boyfriend...and...let's just say I didn't have the best time growing up. At all."

Felix's face filled with concern. "Oh Tammy, I had no idea..."

"And...I'm just scared." Calhoun continued. "I don't want to get close to people, because I don't want to lose them. And...I'm just tired of being alone." She peeked up at Felix.

He sat there, deep in thought. After a few moments he stood up, and held out his hand to her. "C'mon." He said, in the most demanding voice (which still wasn't very demanding at all) Calhoun had ever heard him use.

"What?" Calhoun asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"I don't want you to feel alone anymore, ever again." Felix said, giving her a gentle smile. "Now take my hand."

Calhoun slowly smiled at him before she took his hand and stood up. "Here, wait." She said. She turned around and kicked off her shoes, tossing them on the couch. "There, that's better."

Felix smiled and lead her over to the dance floor where he took her in his arms (well, the best that he could, him being so small and all). He smiled at her as he held her like a porcelain doll, so fragile and delicate.

And they danced.

* * *

As the minutes ticked closer to midnight, the world seemed to turn into a dream. Magic, if such a thing existed, filled the air, and the whole room seemed to crackle and twinkle with excitement. The TV was broadcasting the big show in New York, and everyone was wearing those silly party hats and glasses. The clock said 11:55.

As usual, people spent these last few minutes thinking over what they'd done in the past year. All the mistakes, trials, joys, accomplishments...all the new people they'd met and new things they'd tried. And, of course, all the resolutions they planned to keep in 2013. They ranged from all over. Vanellope's resolution was to make every single day an adventure. She also wanted to write more robot apocalypse stories, but she knew she was going to do that, guaranteed.

Ralph had an extensive list, ranging from things such as, "Eat Healthier," to "Clean Out The Garage." On the top of his list, however, was the most important one of all, to be the best dad he could be.

Calhoun never really did the whole 'resolution' thing. She just like to set goals every day, not on the night designated to do so. But if she really thought about it, she decided that she wanted to try and be more open with people. Maybe she could even invite Mary over, or something.

Okay, maybe not that last one, but she could try saying "Hello," to her every morning.

Felix had spent a lot of time thinking over his. He had originally gone with, "Get a Cat," because he'd always wanted one, and they were just so adorable and all that, but after tonight he decided to change it to making sure that Tamora never felt alone, or depressed. He just wanted to make her happy.

The clock ticked once more. 11: 57.

Vanellope searched the crowd for her Mushy Man. "Ralph?" She called, pushing people aside. "Where is that big guy?" She spotted her friends and went over to them. "Have you guys seen Ralph?" She asked. "I have to find him!"

"I think I saw him over by the TV." Rancis said, pointing.

"Thanks!" Vanellope said, giving him a grateful smile. She rushed over and spotted him, sitting on couch in front of the TV, preparing to watch the ball drop. "Ralph!" She cheered, crawling over to him. "There you are!"

"Finally!" Ralph said, bundling her in his arms. "I was worried you weren't going to come."

"Maybe you should have looked for me then." Vanellope snorted, rolling her eyes playfully.

11:58.

Felix and Calhoun stood by each other, making nervous eye contact and blushing like a couple of fools. They both turned to say something to each other, but just laughed instead.

"Here's to another year." Felix said, holding up his soda can.

"Cheers." Calhoun smiled, bumping her can against his.

11: 59.

The countdown began. In New York, the shiny ball began to slide down. Everyone counted down the seconds.

59, 58, 57...

They were all packed so tightly together, feeding off of each others excitement. People held streamers and handfuls of confetti, waiting for the clock to chime midnight.

50, 49, 48...

Vanellope looked up at Ralph, glee filling up every part of her. Ralph smiled back. It was moments like this that he knew he would remember forever, sitting here with Vanellope in his arms, waiting for the moment when Vanellope could experience her first, real New Year's. He still couldn't believe how lucky he was-how lucky they both were. They'd changed each others lives, in more ways than one.

31, 30, 29...

Felix let out an anxious breath. He knew what he wanted to do, what he _had _to do. The thing he'd only hoped for in the deepest corners of his heart, ever since he met her. Just one glance up at her, her face full of wonder and anticipation, he knew he had to. He was going to.

20, 19, 18...

Calhoun held her bated breath. Trying to ignore the fact that she knew Felix was eying her. She didn't want him to see the lovingly stupid grin she would put on if she made eye contact with him. Because here in this crowded room, surrounded by people she barely knew (except for a small selection, of course), she was happy. Purely, unconditionally, happy. She found herself wishing this moment could last forever.

10, 9, 8...

Everyone was getting louder now. Gloyd and Swizzle stood up on chairs, shouting the seconds at the top of their lungs.

7, 6, 5...

Vanellope gripped Ralph's hand, most likely cutting off his circulation, but Ralph didn't even care. She spotted Taffyta, Candlehead, and Rancis across the room and gave them ecstatic smiles. They smiled back.

4, 3, 2...

The world took in a deep breath.

1.

And then the world exploded. Cheers rang out, and their was a long boom of confetti poppers went of everywhere. Streamers and ribbons and glitter flew into the air, showering down on everyone in a sparkly haze. Everyone shouted out, "Happy New Year!"

Vanellope reached up and grabbed Ralph, planting a big, fat kiss on his cheek.

Ralph looked at her, surprised.

"What?" Vanellope asked, looking at him happily. "You said I had to kiss somebody!"

Ralph smiled, bringing her in for another big hug.

Some people, on the other hand, were so happy about New Year's kisses. With a grin, Taffyta leaned up and gave Rancis a peck on his cheek.

Rancis looked at her, annoyed. "Gross Taffyta!" He exclaimed, swiping at his cheek like a cat someone had just sprayed water on. He stalked off, leaving a confused Taffyta and Candlehead in his wake.

"You know, I'm starting to see what Vanellope said, about Rancis not liking me." Taffyta said thoughtfully, looking embarrassed.

"No!" Candlehead protested. "He's probably just scared of his feelings for you? You're just so pretty!"

Taffyta gave her a half-smile. "Candlehead, has anyone told you that you're like, the greatest, most loyal friend ever?"

Candlehead thought. "Not today?" She finally said.

Taffyta grinned and pulled her in for a hug. "Happy New Year's."

Candlehead smiled and hugged her back. "Happy New Year's to you too. Taffyta!"

Across the room, Felix watched as the fireworks went off on the TV. He looked up at Tamora, who was laughing in spite of it all and shielding herself as glitter rained over her. He knew what he had to do. Squeezing his eyes shut, he grasped all the courage he could muster, and leaped up, placing a swift, but gentle kiss on Calhoun's cheek.

Calhoun's eyes widened. She looked down at him, an amused smile splashed across her face.

Felix smiled back at her, the honeyglows burning his cheeks.

The next moments seemed to pass in a dream. Felix was just opening his mouth to ask if she wanted another drink, because he could get her one in a heartbeat, when Tamora picked him up by the scruff of his collar, looking him determinedly in the eye.

"Tammy?" He asked, confused. "What's-"

And then it happened.

She kissed him.

She kissed him!

Felix was shocked at first, but he immediately went into the honeyglow phase, reaching his arms out and wrapping them around her, pulling her close.

And so they stood there, holding each other for dear life, as they poured out each emotion they'd kept bottled up into that kiss. It was terrifying and wonderful and magical and sweet, but most of all...

It was perfect.

And with that single kiss, both of them knew in an instant that this was fate. Even though they were so different, so uncommon, so apart from each other on the personality scale, they were a perfect fit. This wasn't just a fling they'd be over in a couple weeks, this was forever.

So as the night sparkled around them, Felix and Tamora kissed, neither one wanting this enchanting moment to end. Stars burst, hearts pounded, and the whole world became non-existent.

It was perfect.


	52. The End of The Beginning

Vanellope pushed open the front door of their home, jumping up and down. Glitter flew out of her hair, showering Ralph's suit with silver and gold. A light snowfall had started up again, and the tiny crystals kissed their cheeks and sleeves as the floated down. Fireworks could still be heard off in the distance, the loud, hissing sizzle as they shot up into the air, followed by the theatric explosion and a colorful burst of light. "That was awesome!" Vanellope cheered as they walked in. "Did you see me when I was crowd surfing? I mean, I couldn't believe it! I just couldn't _believe it! _Everyone was dancing, and they just lifted me up in the air! It was CRAZY!"

Ralph yawned. It was almost 1:30, in the _morning, _and Vanellope was still hyped up on sugar. Then again, he really shouldn't have been surprised. At about 12:25 he'd found Vanellope taking multiple shots of Pixie Sticks-which were, of course, just sugar in tubes. Now he just awaited on the crash that came with any sugar high. If it ever came, that is. Vanellope was still bouncing all around and looked like she had no intentions of stopping any time soon.

"And then Gloyd and Swizzle and me had a contest to see who could fit the most cookies in our mouths, and Rancis was the judge!" Vanellope squealed. "And I won! Can you believe it? I can't! Except I kind of can, because I already beat them in a marshmallow-eating contest, so this was kind of expected."

Ralph chuckled. "Well, it sounds like you had fun."

"I did!" Vanellope exclaimed happily. She ran over to Ralph by the door where they both took off their shoes. "Did you see my awesome dance moves? It was amazing!"

"Aren't you tired?" Ralph asked hopefully, watching as she went to bounce on the couch.

"Not really! Vanellope called, doing a back flip. "I could stay up all night!"

Ralph sighed and looked up to the ceiling, cursing whoever had invented the Pixie Stick. Seriously though, who had thought that it would ever be a good idea to put sugar in a stick, and give it to kids? "Well, you're going to have to go to bed." Ralph sighed, going over to pick her up fire-fighter style.

"Aw!" Vanellope moaned, hanging over his shoulder. "Just one more hour? We could play _Hero's Duty! _Or eat that leftover cake from Christmas!"

"I think you've had enough sugar for one night-maybe even two." Ralph chuckled, heading up the stairs.

"You just don't want me to beat you again." Vanellope giggled.

"No! It's just late!" Ralph protested. "And besides, I let you win last time."

"Suuuuuure." Vanellope snickered, poking his back. "Funny how that seems to happen every time we play together."

Ralph smiled and brought her to her room. Vanellope had found an extra strand of Christmas lights in the garage a few days previous and had practically begged Ralph to let her hang them in her room. She said that when the you flipped the light switch off and plugged them in, they looked like magic. Ralph hadn't really understood what she was talking about, but he had let her put them up anyways. "You're right-it is pretty funny." He teased, laughing at the annoyed look she gave him. "Now c'mon, get ready for bed." He sat her down on her bed and got ready to walk out.

"Do I have to? Can I just stay up a wittle wonger?" Vanellope pouted, sticking out her lower lip.

"Oh no you don't!" Ralph said, shielding his eyes and waving his finger at her. "None of that pouty stuff! It may have worked before, but I can assure you, it won't now."

"Are you sure about that?" Vanellope giggled, crawling over to him. She opened her eyes even wider and stuck out her lip further.

"Yes!" Ralph said, walking backwards for a moment before falling to the ground.

Vanellope laughed and started tickling him all over. "I don't think you are!" She squealed, taking his hand away from his eyes. "I'm breaking through to you! You're going to crack at any moment! I can feel it in my bones!"

"St-st-stop!" Ralph laughed through panted breaths. "V-vanellope! I-I'm s-serious!"

"Never!" Vanellope giggled, tickling him under his chin, also known as his most sensitive spot, tickle-wise.

They wrestled around like this on the floor for a bit, Ralph laughing so hard tears were streaming out of his eyes, and Vanellope tickling and poking every part of him she could reach, laughing as well. It wasn't until Ralph managed to grab a hold on both of her wriggling hands that Vanellope's antics were put to a halt. "G-get r-ready f-for bed." He heaved, prying her off of him.  
Vanellope puffed out her cheeks. "Fine!" She sighed, going over to her drawer to get out her pajamas. "But I'm not going to be happy about it! Except for tickling you! I'll still be happy about that!"

Ralph chuckled and walked out to his room to change as well. The pair met up in the bathroom, where they stood side-by-side, brushing their teeth and giving each other mischievous grins. Vanellope had recently found entertainment in making funny faces at Ralph while he brushed his teeth or gargled mouthwash. The first time she'd done it, she'd put her hands by her face and puckered her lips. "Blub, blub, blub!" She had chortled, waving her fingers. "That's fish language for: Look at me, I'm a fish! I hope Ralph doesn't catch me and eat me! Blub, blub!"

This had caused Ralph had burst into a fit of laughter so bad he had almost choked on his toothpaste suds. It wasn't pretty.

Vanellope was ecstatic. And ever since then, she had been trying to get that same effect.

But Ralph was prepared this time. He stared determinedly ahead, refusing to look at Vanellope, even though he could feel her eyes boring into his skull. "It's not going to happen Vanellope. Not tonight."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Vanellope said innocently, her voice sounding muffled from all the toothpaste in her mouth. "I'm just brushing my teeth."

"I'm still not looking."

"Okay."

"Great."

"Fine."

"Glad that's settled, then."

"Me too."

Ralph smiled proudly at his resolve and leaned forward. He swished some water around in his mouth, still not looking at Vanellope.

"Ow!" Vanellope suddenly exclaimed with a loud thud.

"Vanellope?" Ralph cried out, startled. He looked over to her quickly.

Vanellope put her face near his, her hands holding the sides of her mouth open and her tongue sticking out. "Blargh!" She said, rolling her eyes in circles. "I'm a zombieeeeee!"

Ralph snorted. His throat rumbled and he could feel the laughs coming on. With a very undignified grace, he leaned over the sink and spat the water out before it had time to go up his nose again, like that last time, when she'd done a scarily good, but yet overly exaggerated impression of Felix. "Oh my land!" She'd cried out in a deep Southern accent. "I have no ice for my tea! I'm going to die! Tamora, give me CPR!" Then she'd collapsed into an over dramatic faint.

This time around, it wasn't so much that what she had done had been terribly funny, but just that she looked so cute doing it. "I can't believe I fell for that." He laughed, wiping his mouth off.

"Ha, ha, sucker!" Vanellope giggled, punching his shoulder lightly.

"Oh, I'm the sucker, am I?" Ralph laughed, picking her up. Now he tickled her, laughing as she squealed and squirmed, trying to get away like a tiny black and mint-green ball.

"Y-yes!" She said. "You're a big s-sucker! A D-Dum Dum! A Chupa Chup!"

Ralph carried her over to her room where he finally relented his tickling and tucked her under the covers. She still giggled under her breath, and Ralph could feel the affects of the sugar beginning to wear off. The sparkle in her hazel eyes was dimming, and she had to blink her eyes several times in order to keep them open.  
He thought back to her first night. Had it really only been 4 months? The end of August seemed so long ago, another lifetime even. It felt like Vanellope had always been there, it was becoming hard to imagine his life before her. Thinking back to those lonely nights spent in the living room, sitting on the couch and watching whatever he could find on TV, felt like someone else's life all entirely now. What was it like to work all day, knowing all you had to come home to was an empty house? To spent every morning and night alone, the only exception being the occasional visit to Felix's? To have no one else to look out for, to love and protect, other than yourself? Ralph couldn't even remember now. The most important and warmest of memories were all linked back to her. Camping in the backyard, screaming their lungs out on roller coasters, making leaf piles, playing in the snow, acting out robot apocalypses-none of it would had ever existed without Vanellope.

Now Vanellope gazed up at him, the reflections from the Christmas lights sparkling in her eyes, and Ralph knew this is where he was meant to be-right here, at Vanellope's side.

Vanellope rested her head back against her pillows, smiling softly. "Did you see Coach Calhoun and Felix?" She murmured. "At midnight? I saw them kiss! It was kind of gross, but at least they can get married now."

"Someone's getting ahead of themselves." Ralph smiled. "I wouldn't be planning on hearing any wedding bells, not in the near future, anyways."

"Aw, man." Vanellope groaned, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling. "I just want them to be together! And for them to have a wedding, so I can go and see what weddings are like. Well, as long as I don't have to wear a fancy dress."

"Hate to break it to you, but you might have to, kid." Ralph smiled, ruffling her hair. "But who knows? Felix and Calhoun could let you be the ring-bearer, then you could wear a suit!"

"But then I'd have to match with you!" Vanellope complained playfully, giving him an impish smile.

"Well, we can deal with that problem when we get to it." Ralph laughed softly. "They've still got a long road ahead of them before they get to that point."

"I guess." Vanellope sighed peacefully.

Ralph made sure she was nice and comfy in her bed before he reached over and turned on the lamp. "'Night Vanellope." He said, kissing her forehead. Vanellope nodded sleepily in reply as he stood up and went to flick the light switch off.

"Ralph?" Vanellope called out, sitting up suddenly. Her eyes were wide open now, and her expression was full of an anxious wonder.

"Yes?" He asked.

A moment passed as they looked into each others eyes, neither saying a word, and with a small heartbeat, Ralph knew.

The story.

_The _story. The story that he'd promised her so many nights ago. He opened his mouth to say it; that he didn't have one but that by tomorrow he swore he would. But as he looked into those wide, innocent, hazel eyes, the eyes that slowly started to shut down and cloud over as they realized what he was going to say, Ralph couldn't. He wasn't going to let her down again. Not tonight, not ever.

"Okay." Ralph finally said. He walked back over to her and sat down, his eyes shining determinedly in the glow of the lamp. "I'm going to tell you a story."

"Really?" Vanellope whispered, her voice rising with excitement.

"Yes." Ralph nodded firmly. "But not just any story. This story is going to be the best story ever told."

"Even better than _To Kill a Mockingbird?" _Vanellope asked, thinking of the most prestigious book she knew.

"Yes." Ralph smiled. "Even better than that."

Vanellope's eyes widened and she took an excited breath. She sat up and turned her attention fully on him.  
Ralph sighed. "Once upon a time..." He began, not knowing at all where he was going with this. "There was a beautiful princess." Yeah, that was a good start.

"Can she be a president?" Vanellope interrupted. "No offense to them, but I like presidents more than princesses."

Ralph smiled. "Sure. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful _president. _She grew up with a pretty rough life. People looked down on her, and mocked her, and threw her in the mud. All she wanted was to be herself, but when she did people seemed to hate her for it. And so one day, she finally had had enough and decided to escape. She left that place far behind, never to return. She ran off into the forest where she ran and ran and ran until she suddenly came across a troll living under a bridge."

"A troll?" Vanellope smiled, scrunching up her nose.

"Yes." Ralph grinned, pinching her cheek. "A troll. He was forced to live under the bridge because he was being treated the same way as the president. People took one look at him and decided that he was a bad guy, and that he didn't deserve any friends. He tried to prove that he was a nice guy, but people wouldn't listen to him. They ignored him and treated him like dirt. And so he sat there every day, scaring people away from his bridge, because, well, he had started to believe that he was best off alone. That was until he met the president, who saw the good in him. And they became friends."

"Is that the end?" Vanellope asked, looking worried.

"No." Ralph smiled. "In fact, that was only the beginning."

And so the story took flight. The president and the troll went on many adventures together. They climbed mountains, battled dragons, wielded wands, faced foes, and made a few new friends along the way. They traveled through time and space, invented impossible things, and explored the universe. They flew high above the clouds, leaving the world far, far, behind. They touched the moon, swam through the deepest seas, navigated the deadliest terrains, and still made it back in time for dinner. They could do anything, they were unstoppable, because on those adventures, they had each other, and that was all they needed.

"And so," Ralph finished, stroking Vanellope's hair as she began to nod off. "They lived happily ever after. The end."  
Vanellope smiled up at him through heavy-lidded eyes. "That _was_ the bestest story ever." She whispered, resting her head against her pillows.

The room was silent, and Ralph and Vanellope were both sleepy by now, the tales of the story still dancing through their heads. "I try." Ralph shrugged, smiling at her.  
Vanellope giggled softly.

Ralph leaned forward and kissed her forehead again. "Goodnight, Vanellope."

He started to sit up but before he could, Vanellope reached forward and pulled him down into a deep embrace. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him there tightly.

Ralph squeezed her back, taking in the feeling of her soft breaths on his neck, her tiny heartbeat fluttering against his. He would have almost missed it, her next few words, except for the fact that her lips were very near his ear, sending her hushed whispers floating into his ears like a lovely melody. And when she said it, his heart wanted to stop beating, melt, and explode all at once. When she said it, he told her that he did too, and that no one had ever meant as much to him as she did now. And that no matter what happened, he would never leave her, or hurt or, or let anyone else use or abuse her ever again.

But most of all, when she leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "I love you, Dad," everything fell into place. For in reality, this was only the beginning. And as everyone knows, after the beginning comes the adventure. An adventure that would be something crazy, beautiful, wonderful, and memorable.

They were ready. Because the world was a big, unpredictable place, and side-by-side, they could handle it all. Because together, they were infinite.


End file.
